Coming Home
by TracyLynn
Summary: HenryBetty So, this is a fanfic set 13 YEARS in the future…..I know, crazy. It assumes that when the five months were up, Henry did indeed leave New York and Betty to continue his life as a father to his child in Tucson.
1. Chapter 1

_**Author's Note : **__So, this is a fanfic set 13 YEARS in the future…..I know, crazy. It assumes that when the five months were up, Henry did indeed leave New York and Betty to continue his life as a father to his child in Tucson. He and Betty have not kept in touch, because she made him promise it would be a clean break for both of them._

_Now, with a fan fic set so far into the future, the first two chapters will primarily be spent bringing you up to speed on everyone's lives for the past 13 years. So, there will be little dialogue and lots of descriptions. The story will begin to unfold here and there so just sit back and enjoy the ride, this will probably be around 10 chapters long._

_As always, reviews are welcome and serve to inspire….but as long as you read and enjoy, I am happy._

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**Chapter 1**

Betty tried to sleep, but the lightning and thunder kept waking her. She had never been a fan of thunderstorms, even as a child. She threw the covers off of her and climbed out of bed. She put on her glasses and her fuzzy slippers and walked from her bedroom out into the living room.

If there was one thing she liked about her apartment in the city, it was the view. She had a huge window in the living room and being on the fifth floor of her building had given her a wonderful view of the park across the street. He had told her once, never live on a floor higher than the fifth floor because that is as high as fire truck ladders can reach. Just something he knew.

She jumped slightly as lightning ripped across the sky. She spoke quietly.

"One thousand one, one thousand two, one thousand three…."

BOOM!

She shivered. She had no idea why rainy nights always reminded her of him, but they did. Perhaps because it was his touch that she missed so much. She missed having someone to lean into when she sat on the couch to watch her favorite television shows and she missed his hands on her face, his hand stroking her hair and his comforting embrace when it thundered.

She shook her head. You would think after thirteen years, the memories would have dulled but they never did.

She turned and walked away from the window and went to sit at her desk. She pulled her planner out of her briefcase and looked over her appointments for next week. Her life had certainly changed since he left and she had always been thankful to Daniel for the distraction.

Meade Publications and specifically MODE, had gone through a major overhaul in the five years following Bradford Meade's death. Alexis and Daniel had put away the paint guns and agreed to run the company together. They divided the magazines into two divisions and each ran one. They ran the overall publishing company together with major input from the Chief Financial Officer [CFO and the Chief Information Officer [CIO. Claire Meade presided over the Board of Directors and the whole company ran like a well-oiled machine. Their circulation was in good shape although lately the internet and some electronic distribution channels had been giving them some cause for concern.

With the many changes, Betty had taken a more active role in the company. She started writing for the magazine right after Henry left and then two years later, she had taken over as feature editor at MODE, at twenty-five she had been the youngest in the industry with that title. She had loved her new job and her new responsibilities, it challenged her and kept her mind off of other things.

But, things really changed when five years later at the young age of thirty, she was made Editor-in-Chief of MODE. There were still days, after six years, that she had to pinch herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming.

She started attending night and weekend classes, and got her Master's Degree in Marketing. And, she had moved, on Daniel's advice, to the city into her own apartment so she could be near the office.

But, even though she had made quite a mark in the industry in the last six years she thought it was mainly because SHE hadn't really changed a bit. She didn't set the fashion trends for the season but she made sure her magazine did.

She had a creative team that was the best in the business. Christina was her creative director and had been since almost day one after Betty took over. She was one of the first magazines to have weight requirements for its cover and feature models and while it was a bold move when she implemented it, Daniel had told her she had his support and soon after other top fashion magazines had followed suit. The models were still too skinny as far as she was concerned, but Rome wasn't built in a day.

Lightning whipped across the sky again and she was startled from her thoughts. She looked back again to her planner, she was having dinner with Daniel and Lindsay tomorrow night, the annual Bradford Meade Remembrance Dinner. She looked at her watch and frowned, it was almost one in the morning. She guessed she was actually having dinner with them tonight.

She got up from her desk and walked to the bathroom. She pulled a washcloth from the drawer and ran it under cool water. She wiped her face and ran the cloth across the back of her neck. She looked in the mirror.

She guessed she had changed in some ways. She, of course, no longer had her braces. Her hair was still the same color and basically the same style and length. She had let Hilda cut some layers on the bottom to give it a little more shape. She smiled as she adjusted her glasses on her face. She still wore her trademark red glasses although she did have contacts that she wore on occasion, even though she hated them.

Her fashion sense was basically the same as far as she was concerned. She had no desire to dress like the models in her magazine even though she appreciated the fact that she was in the fashion industry. She preferred to wear what she wanted to regardless of the trend of the day. In the beginning, her refusal to adapt to the trends was the talk of the industry but her ability to put out a top fashion magazine and employ the best in the industry had made her personal style legendarily unique and even admired.

In the past six years, MODE had won more awards in the industry than any other fashion magazine and she had won more than any other editor prior to her. Overall, the past thirteen years had been the best of her life, well, except maybe for the five months proceeding them.

She walked into her bedroom and climbed back in bed. She pulled the covers up around her and listened for the rain. It had lightened. She looked at the clock. Two. She needed to get some sleep.

She had a photo shoot in the morning that she promised Christina she would be at and then dinner with Daniel and Lindsay. She really liked Daniel's wife. They had met ten years earlier when Daniel had changed law firms for Meade. She worked for the law firm he had chosen as a pro bono attorney. She was all about a good cause and had won several important cases over the years. She was pretty but in a classic simple way. They had dated off and on for two years while Daniel got all of his wild ways out of his system and then he has asked her to marry him.

They had been married for five years, had a three year old son named Bradford and were expecting another in the spring. Being a husband and a father had changed Daniel in all the right ways.

Lindsay was constantly trying to fix her up with lawyers from her firm and while Betty had been on a few dates over the years, she let her work and her own family monopolize her time. She had experienced the love of a lifetime and even at a young thirty-six, she wasn't expecting lightning to strike twice. It wasn't that she wasn't open to the possibility; she had just never met anyone that measured up.

She closed her eyes and tried to sleep, letting the lull of the slowing rain and the hum of her ceiling fan finally calm her into sleep.

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Her cell phone woke her early. Too early.

"Betty Suarez."

"_Mi hija, good morning."_

"Hi, dad. What time is it ?"

"_A little after seven, I thought you had work this morning."_

Betty sat up in bed, grabbed her glasses and put them on, looking at her clock.

"I do, I'm glad you called. I guess I forgot to set my alarm."

"_Did the storm last night keep you up ?"_

He knew her so well.

"Yes, I guess so."

"_Well, you shouldn't have to work on a Saturday anyway."_

"Dad, we've been over this a million times."

"_I know, I know. Are you coming over for dinner tonight ?"_

Betty got out of bed, walked to the bathroom and turned the shower on.

"No, remember I have dinner at Daniel's tonight. It's the anniversary of Bradford's death and he always has a remembrance dinner for all the Meade executives."

"_Oh, right, I forgot. Tomorrow night ?"_

She smiled.

"Yes, tomorrow night."

"_Okay, well be careful, it is supposed to rain all weekend."_

"I will. I gotta go dad, I'm running late."

"_Okay, see you tomorrow."_

"Okay. Love you."

"_I love you too, mi hija."_

Betty disconnected the call and put her cell phone back on the nightstand. She walked to the bathroom, undressed and stepped into the shower.

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She walked into the MODE photo studio a little after nine and headed straight for Christina.

"I am so sorry I am late."

"The storm ?"

Apparently, everyone knew her too well.

"Yes. It woke me and I couldn't get back to sleep."

"Well, we are just getting started so you are right on time."

The photo shoot went off without a hitch. Christina and Betty had lunch together afterwards and then agreed they would see each other at the dinner party for Bradford later that night.

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Betty called and took one of the Meade cars to Daniel's that night. She still couldn't get used to having a car service at her disposal and only used it on special occasions but when she did, she had to admit, it was nice.

She walked up to the front door and rang the bell. Lindsay answered with Bradford on her hip.

"Betty! Come in, it is getting chilly out."

She moved aside and Betty walked into the foyer. Daniel came walking in from the den and reached out to take her coat.

"Here, let me get that."

"Thank you. Is everyone here ?"

"Nope, we're still waiting on James and Reid."

James was the Chief Financial Officer at Meade and Reid was the Chief Information Officer. Reid was new to the executive team as of last year and another person Lindsay had been eyeballing for Betty.

Daniel looked from Lindsay to Bradford.

"Doesn't he need to head to the bath and bed ?"

"Yes, I was just getting ready to take him upstairs to Katie."

Katie was their live-in nanny. Daniel and Lindsay spent a lot of time with Bradford and made sure they made time for family, but the reality was that their schedules were very erratic so a live-in nanny had been a necessity and a big help.

Lindsay looked at Bradford and he grinned.

"Come on, big guy, let's get you upstairs for a bath."

Bradford looked at Betty and held out his arms.

"Betty !"

Betty smiled.

"You want me to take you up for your bath ?"

He grinned and stretched further toward her.

"I'll take him up Lindsay."

Lindsay looked at her and frowned.

"Betty, you are a guest."

"I don't mind, really. Come here, you."

She reached over and took Bradford from Lindsay's arms and he wrapped his arms around her neck and gave her a big hug and then a kiss on the cheek.

She looked at Daniel.

"He's already got your charm I see."

Daniel and Lindsay both laughed as Betty headed upstairs.

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Later that night after dinner was over, all of the executives settled in to the den for an after dinner drink. There was a toast to Bradford and everyone took the time to reminisce about the man that had founded Meade Publishing. Betty always enjoyed whatever story Claire chose to share on these occasions and each year they had been different.

Daniel moved to stand at the fireplace and motioned for the room to be quiet.

"Everyone, may I have your attention please ?"

Everyone grew silent and all eyes were on him.

"While this night is always reserved for the remembrance of my father, tonight I also have a very important announcement. Two weeks ago, James came to me to let me know he would like to retire at the end of the year and I have accepted his request. He has been the CFO at Meade for over twenty-five years and he has been one of our most valued assets through these years of change. However, he now wants to spend some time with his family and his grandchildren. I would like to raise a glass and toast him on a restful and happy retirement. To James."

Everyone raised his or her glasses.

"To James."

Everyone turned to James to congratulate him. Betty was not surprised, she had heard through the grapevine that his request was coming. Daniel cleared his throat.

"Now, obviously, this leaves an opening for a new CFO for the company. Alexis and I have extended a job offer to a possible replacement for James and I should have an announcement to make at the Black and White ball next weekend."

He looked around the room, and everyone was focused on him.

"We decided to go outside of the company for his replacement to insure we have someone that can bring in a fresh approach to some of the challenges we are beginning to experience with emerging distribution channels in the industry. I have every confidence that the person we have chosen will accept our offer; however, at this time, I am keeping the name to myself."

Betty had not heard any names for replacements, but felt certain Daniel and Alexis would make the right choice for the company.

"So, again, please join me in congratulating James and I look forward to seeing you at next week's Black and White Ball where we will hopefully be announcing his replacement to you and the press."

Everyone began mulling around James and talking among themselves about this turn of events. After another hour, people started leaving and Betty made her way to Daniel and Lindsay. She looked at Daniel with a smile.

"So, no hints, on the replacement ?"

"Nope, no hints, you'll have to find out with everyone else."

"I trust you."

Daniel felt a twinge of guilt.

"I hope so."

"Well, I'm heading out. The rain kept me up last night and it looks like it might do the same tonight. It was a fabulous party. I'll see you Monday."

Daniel helped her with her coat and gave her a hug. Lindsay also hugged her and then she left. Daniel and Lindsay stood on the front steps and watched her get into the car. Lindsay leaned into Daniel and turned to look at him.

"Are you sure, not telling her is the right thing to do ?"

"No, but that was his condition. She'll be okay."

"I hope so."

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Henry sat on the airplane, going over some notes he had made before he left Tucson when the flight attendant came by to offer him a drink.

"Mr. Grubstick, can I get you something to drink ?"

He looked up with a smile and adjusted his glasses.

"Just water, please. No ice."

She smiled and left him to his papers. He was used to traveling in first class by now even though he still felt like it was a luxury he didn't need. Thirteen years ago, when he had left New York to move back to Tucson to await the birth of his child, his son, he had no job prospects in sight. But, shortly after arriving, he had received a call from the CFO at Maldonado Publishing, which was the leader in publishing travel magazines and based in Tucson. He had offered him a job in their accounting department as a senior accountant, apparently on the recommendation of Daniel and Alexis Meade, Meade Publishing.

He had welcomed the opportunity and had accepted the job without hesitation. He soon discovered that the CFO was going to be retiring in the next few years and had been looking for someone from the outside to come in and eventually take over the job. Apparently, that someone was to be him. His immediate reaction had been an overwhelming desire to call Betty to thank her and to have her pass on his thanks to Daniel and Alexis but he had made a promise to her and as hard as it was, he intended to keep it. So, instead, he sat down and wrote Alexis and Daniel a note thanking them for their confidence in him and the opportunity they had provided.

When he had indeed taken over the role as CFO at Maldonado Publishing five years later, he had received a plant signed by both of them.

The flight attendant returned to his seat with his water. He smiled and thanked her.

He had made quite a name for himself in the publishing world during the last eight years as CFO for Maldonado Publishing. By the time his mentor and boss had been ready to retire, the travel publication industry was slipping into the same uncertainties as so many other publication companies with the internet and other technology taking over as the primary distribution method of information.

But, Henry had been waiting for his moment and when he officially took over, he submitted an aggressive proposal to the Chief Information Officer at Maldonado and they put together the most comprehensive information distribution package the industry had ever seen. Once it was fine tuned, he contacted some buddies he had kept in touch with in college that had opened their own software company years before and he acquired them and brought them in to revolutionize Maldonado's distribution channels. For five years, the industry had been turned on its ear trying to catch up and Maldonado had become the front-runner in travel information distribution.

None of their magazines had suffered and, in fact, the combination of printed and on-line information actually had increased their subscription sales year over year ever since. He had won numerous publishing awards and financial awards over the last eight years and was named one of Tucson's most eligible bachelors last year. Something that still made him laugh every time his mother reminded him.

He loved his job. He loved everything about the publishing world that he had started in all those years ago. But, at the end of the day, he was just a regular guy, a dad and a son. And, no matter how much he had loved the job and the industry, there was one thing he loved more. His son. Will.

So now, eight years after taking the CFO position, he was making another change. He looked up when he heard the captain's voice come on over the airplane sound system.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are about forty-five minutes from landing, there is some weather in the area so I am going to go ahead and turn on the fasten seat belt sign at this time."

Henry finished drinking his water and put his papers away. He wasn't a fan of weather when flying and leaned his head back on his headrest and closed his eyes. After what must have been about thirty minutes, the flight attendant came on over the speakers.

"Ladies and gentlemen, at this time, the flight attendants will be coming through the cabin to pick up any remaining service items. We ask that you please stow any electronic devices you got out during flight and return your seats to their upright position in preparation for landing. We should be landing in New York in about fifteen minutes."

Henry opened his eyes and looked out the window. The lights of New York were everywhere and he could see rain hitting the windows of the plane.

"Mr. Grubstick ?"

He turned to see the flight attendant standing next to him.

"Is there anything else I can get for you before we land ?"

"No, thank you, I'm fine."

She picked up his empty water glass and napkin.

"Are you here on business ?"

He smiled.

"No, I'm coming home."

**_--- to be continued ---_**


	2. Chapter 2

_**Author's Note : **__Same stuff from Chapter 1. This chapter brings us up to date on the Suarez family, Charlie and Will. _

_Dedicated as always to the incredible crew at instant-connection – you are all good hearts !!!_

_As always, reviews are welcome and serve to inspire….but as long as you read and enjoy, I am happy._

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**Chapter 2**

Henry woke up, stretching. At first he had forgotten where he was and then he had barely managed to find his glasses on the nightstand when his cell phone began ringing.

"Grubstick."

"_Hi, dad."_

Henry smiled and sat up in bed looking at the clock next to him, nine in the morning, which meant it was six in the morning in Tucson.

"Will, is everything okay ?"

_"It's great. How was your flight ? I saw there was bad weather in New York last night."_

Henry laughed.

"It was fine. Why are you calling me so early ?"

"_I just wanted to talk to you before your day got busy."_

Will paused a minute and then continued.

"_Have you seen her yet ?"_

Again, Henry laughed.

"Will, I told you, I won't see Betty until next weekend at the Black and White Ball. I don't know why you are so anxious for me to see her, it has been thirteen years. Will, she may not want to have anything to do with me, she may have moved on with her life."

_"Come on, dad, you are Tucson's most eligible bachelor and she's not married or anything."_

"Enough with the bachelor thing, Will, and how do you know she isn't married ?"

_"I googled her."_

"You what ?"

_"I googled her, you know, looked her up on google, the internet."_

"I know what googled means, Will. What I don't know is why you are googling Betty."

Of course, Henry had googled her many times too, he had been so proud to read of each of her accomplishments at MODE and he had to admit, he also had noted that she had never married.

_"Come on dad, I've heard about her for my whole life, I was curious."_

"Okay, first of all, I only told you about Betty three years ago and ok, let's just leave it at that, enough about Betty. When are you coming here for the holidays ?"

_"I don't know, mom keeps saying she is going to make the reservation, but as far as I know, she hasn't."_

Henry frowned.

"Okay, I'll call her tonight. I'm going to be going with realtors this week to look for a house, so check your email in the evenings, I'll send you pictures so you can help me decide."

_"Okay. Just make sure there is a place to put in a basketball goal."_

"I know, I know."

_"I hope you work on your skillz, with a z, while you are in New York, dad, because I am getting better every day."_

"Yeah, talk is cheap. You better bring your best when you come here in a couple of weeks 'cause I'll be ready."

_"Mom's calling me, Cass has some ballet recital I have to sit through today and apparently we have to be there at the crack of dawn."_

Will groaned and Henry laughed.

"Will, she is your sister, and no matter how much you groan, I know you love her."

_"Half-sister."_

"Will."

Will sighed and reluctantly agreed.

_"Okay, I love her and she is a really good dancer."_

"Alright, get your mom to stop at the grocery store and get her some flowers, why don't you. I bet she'd like that."

_"I gotta go, dad. I love you."_

"I love you too, I'll talk to you tomorrow."

_"Okay, bye."_

Henry closed the phone and smiled. Thirteen years ago, his life had changed forever when Will was born. And, no matter how much heartbreak surrounded him during that time in his life, it had all been erased when he had held that baby in his arms for the first time.

Henry laid back down in bed, enjoying the extra time he had this week to relax.

Things had been strained between he and Charlie when he had first moved back to Tucson. There was so much resentment on his part and leaving New York and Betty had been the hardest thing he had ever done. He had been unbearable to be around, even his mother avoided him most of the time in the beginning. He and Charlie had barely tolerated each other. She had tried once to indicate that she wanted them to get back together, for the baby she said, but he had quickly and firmly put an end to that discussion.

Will had been born three weeks after he got back; he had been staying with his mom when he got the call from Charlie's mom. The labor and delivery had been uncomplicated. Charlie had done great with help from him and some other birthing person she had in the room to keep her spiritual aura calm. Henry hadn't really cared as long as he had been there.

He took two weeks off of work after the birth to help Charlie and establish a routine with her on visitation, etc. And, she had, thankfully, changed quite a bit after the birth. Over the next six months they had developed a peaceful co-existence when it came to Will.

They were sitting in Will's room at her apartment one night late when Will was about six months old and had a cold. She had looked at him sincerely and apologized for all that she had cost him. Of course, what was done was done and Henry had accepted her apology.

When Will was around two, she had started dating a local real estate developer and a year later they were married. Robert was a hard worker and he was able to support a family without Charlie having to work. She was able to be at home to raise Will and she worked on her jewelry again which she loved. Since being married, they had had two children; Cassandra, who was called Cass, and Maximilian, who was called Max. Cass was nine and Max was six. They were good kids and he had to admit, Charlie was a great mother to all three of them.

Henry, fortunately, liked Robert and had no problem with him as a stepfather for Will. The feeling was mutual and Henry felt that the good relationship he had developed with Robert from the beginning had made a big difference in how Will's life had turned out.

Henry got out of bed and headed for the bathroom to turn on the shower. He walked back into the bedroom and picked up his cell phone and dialed.

"Daniel, it's Henry."

_"Henry, I'm glad to hear from you. So, I take it you got in okay last night and are settled in the corporate apartment ?"_

Henry looked around.

"Yes, it is very nice. Thank you so much for letting me stay here while I look for permanent living arrangements."

"_Permanent ? So, you are staying for sure ?"_

"Well, I am definitely staying in New York, but you know I have to get Betty's okay before I take the job."

_"I know. But, I would like to make the announcement at the Black and White Ball."_

"Knowing Betty, even if she isn't okay with it, she will give me her okay, which is what I am counting on, so I don't think that will be a problem."

_"Alright, I'll make sure the press is there and you can give me the okay at the ball."_

"Sounds like that will work. Listen, do you still play basketball ?"

Daniel was surprised at the question but answered.

"_Sure, a pickup game when I have the time. Why ?"_

"Well, my son took an interest when he was about eight so I took up the sport myself so I could play with him. I need to get in some practice before he comes to town and I thought we could pick up a game sometime soon."

Daniel laughed.

_"You play basketball ? I can't even picture it."_

Henry laughed.

"Yeah, I'm sure not. But, things change in thirteen years, and we do things for our kids, right ? We might even have to have a friendly wager if you think you are up for it."

_"Oh, I'm up for it. I'll check my calendar and give you a call this week."_

"Great. Thanks again, Daniel. It's good to be back, and I am looking forward to working with you again."

_"Me too, Henry and I can't wait for you to meet Lindsay and Bradford."_

"I'm looking forward to it."

Henry hung up his phone and went to take a shower. His thoughts returned to Will as he showered.

While Henry had been moving forward with his job, Charlie had allowed him unlimited access to Will and often invited him to family events where he could spend time with Will and his brother and sister. This seemed to make Will very happy and helped solidify the bond between father and son.

As Will got older he and Henry became extremely close. Will helped him pick out his first house when he was eight. He was a very bright and sensitive child. He wanted to know everything about everything and he remembered everything he heard and read. Henry loved sharing his life stories with him.

When he was around ten, Henry had told him about living in New York when he was younger. He had basically told him about moving there and his job at Meade. He told him that was how he got the experience for the job he had now at Maldonado.

But, Will, being the perceptive child he was dug deeper when he saw other emotions besides happiness cross his father's face when he talked about New York. Apparently, according to Charlie, he came home one Sunday night and asked her to tell him what really happened with his father in New York.

And, in fact, Charlie had told Henry, that she decided that it was her responsibility to tell him since she felt guilty for her part in the entire thing, so she did. Will had asked her questions; good questions, hard questions and Charlie had been as honest as she could with him.

The next time Henry saw Will, he had been full of questions about Betty. Henry had hesitated, but then decided that he wanted to tell Will about the love of his life, so he did. It had been hard for Henry because it made him relive some things he had long buried in the memories of his heart but he had told Will everything. Well, everything that a precocious ten-year-old needed to hear to understand.

And then Will had done something unexpected, especially for a ten-year-old. He had apologized to his father. Apologized for being the reason Henry had to leave Betty and Henry had been overwhelmed with emotion.

He had hugged Will and told him that there was nothing to be sorry about, that he would never trade anything or change any decision he made in his life when it came to Will. He had told Will the same thing he had told his mother when had first come back to Tucson.

"Some people go their entire lives and never meet that one person that I loved as much as I loved Betty and I am thankful for the five months we had together."

Little did Henry know that his ten-year-old son would put a plan in motion that very day that put him in New York today.

Henry stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel, wrapping it around his waist and headed for the bedroom to get dressed. He had some research to do on housing and he wanted to drive by Will's new school today as well.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Betty managed to get a good night's sleep after all. The rain had not been as intense as the night before and she had been tired. She got up Sunday morning, had some breakfast and read the morning paper.

Before heading to the shower, she pulled out her planner. Nothing on the agenda today except dinner in Queens. Good, she needed a day to herself.

She was making her way to the shower when she heard her house phone ring.

"Hello."

_"Betty."_

"Hi Hilda. What's up ?"

"_You are coming to dinner tonight, right ?"_

"Yessssss……I told dad I was. Why ? Is something going on ?"

Hilda laughed.

_"Well, I guess you'll find out tonight. Justin will be there too."_

"Oh, he's back from London ?"

Betty was so proud of Justin. He was twenty-five now and a very successful young man in the fashion industry. He had gone to work right out of college with Christina at MODE but what he had really wanted was to be a buyer for one of the big names and now he was. He had gone to work for Ralph Lauren a year ago and he was having the time of his life.

_"Yes, he got back yesterday. He said he was exhausted, but he'll be here."_

"Great, I feel like I haven't seen him in forever."

_"He said the same thing about you."_

Betty smiled.

"Well, I'll see you all tonight. Six ?"

_"Sounds good, you can come earlier, Julio and I will be here all afternoon doing stuff around the house."_

"Okay. See you then. Do I need to bring anything ?"

_"Hmmmm……actually don't go buy anything, but if you have a good bottle of wine around from some client, why don't you bring it."_

"Do we have something to celebrate ?"

Hilda hesitated.

_"See you tonight."_

"Okay. Okay. I get it. See you tonight. I'll bring wine."

Betty hung up the phone smiling.

She had a feeling she knew what that was about. Hilda had been dating Julio for about ten years now. They had met at the high school carnival at Justin's school and he had flirted with her mercifully until she agreed to go out with him. Hilda had not been interested in getting married but they had become engaged six years ago. Julio told her that he didn't care if they ever got married but he wanted to ask her so she knew that he loved her and wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.

He was a really great guy. He loved both Hilda and Justin unconditionally and had become a part of the Suarez family with ease. He was a fireman for the Queens fire department and Betty always thought of him as a big teddy bear. He had been a great role model for Justin when they had first started dating and Justin loved him like a father. They had developed a really close bond through Justin's high school years and Julio had been very supportive of Justin's interests and career plans. He was as proud a father as he could be as if he had fathered Justin himself.

After they were engaged and Betty had moved out, Hilda had sat their father down and asked his permission to have Julio move into the Suarez house. Ignacio agreed. He saw how happy Hilda and Justin were and the truth was he was happy to have someone there that he knew could take care of them as Ignacio got older.

Betty had noticed a few bride magazines lying around the upstairs when she had been to the house recently and she wondered if Julio was slowly wearing Hilda down and they were planning to get married. Hilda was forty-three now and Julio was a few years younger at thirty-nine. He had been pushing Hilda more about getting married recently because he wanted to make sure she was taken care of with his benefits, as he got closer to retirement.

Well, she was excited to see Justin and she would bring a bottle of wine and see what this was all about.

She finally headed to the bathroom to take her shower and spent the rest of the day cleaning around the apartment, doing laundry and catching up on personal bills and correspondence.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Henry had done research on housing in the area all morning and finally took a break around two. He called a cab and took it for a drive by Will's new school. He would go by on Monday to see if there was any additional paperwork he needed to fill out and get everything in order.

When Will had started the 6th grade, the school he went to in Tucson had offered a young filmmakers program in place of some of the fine arts requirements to students who were interested. Henry had been somewhat surprised but Will had always been big into photography and he assumed this was a natural progression from that. Plus, he always supported his son's interests and had signed the necessary permission forms after talking to Charlie about it. That first Christmas after he had joined the program, Will had asked for a digital movie camera for making short films and Henry had got him one of the best.

Since then, Will had become more and more involved in the film making process and had made several short films that had been well received in the last two years. His grades in his other studies had improved as well, even though he had always been a good student, he had become even more focused on his studies the more into the film program he went.

Last year he had attended and summer film camp in Phoenix and submitted a film to a scholarship competition sponsored by a well-known private high school in New York. The prize was a four-year scholarship to the school including room and board. Charlie and Henry had followed his interest in this area and knew that he was submitting a film but had no idea just how good he had become.

They visited the camp the last week and went to the final awards event the last night of camp. Will had won a couple of awards for non-film activities at the camp, like basketball and the scavenger hunt. But, no one had been prepared when they announced his name as the winner of the four-year scholarship at the end of the night. It was the first time in the history of the camp and the program that a 7th grader had won. Henry could not have been prouder.

Will had been ecstatic. Henry thought they had all gone home on a cloud. Will would get a letter from the school at the beginning of September regarding the award and he would have thirty days to accept or decline. Of course, Will wanted to go but Henry and Charlie told him they would need to think about it.

When the letter came and they read through it, Charlie and Henry made plans to have dinner to discuss it. Robert had been great about letting the decision be made between the two of them and Henry had appreciated that. Henry invited Charlie over to his house for dinner and he had cooked. He remembered the evening well.

"Henry, this is delicious as usual. I can't believe I didn't know you could cook all those years ago."

He smiled and brought his plate to the table and sat down.

"So, what are we going to do about this ?"

Henry wanted to let Will go. Even though, he would be just fourteen next year when he went, Henry knew Will was mature enough to handle it. The only issue he had was how far away it was, but he had a feeling Charlie would be totally against it.

"I think he should go."

"I mean, he is a mature kid and I can………..what ?"

He looked up at her in shock and waited for her to repeat what he surely had not just heard.

"I think he should go."

"You do ?"

Charlie laughed.

"You thought I would say no ?"

"Yeah, actually I did."

"You know, as his mother, I don't want him to go so far away, but how can I deny him this opportunity especially when he has worked so hard for it."

Henry was pleased, and smiled.

"Well, I agree, actually, and as I was going to say, I can go visit him all the time, and I'll fly him home whenever he can be away from school."

"Okay, so we agree."

Henry shook his head is disbelief and happiness.

"We do."

Charlie pointed to her almost empty plate.

"Any more ?"

He laughed.

"Sure."

They had enjoyed the rest of their meal in peaceful but friendly conversation. Henry thought it might have been the most productive conversation they had ever had.

He followed her home where Will had been anxiously awaiting their decision. When they told him he had flown into their arms with hugs and thanks. He was going to New York to film school. They sent the paperwork in the next day and now all Will had to do was wait until the 8th grade passed by and he would be off on a new adventure.

When Henry had received the call from Daniel, six weeks later about the CFO job at Meade he had been thrilled. He could move to New York and be near Will while he was in school. When he told Will and Charlie about the job offer they had both been elated. It made Charlie feel more comfortable about Will being away from home and it had made Will start thinking about Betty again.

Henry looked out the window at the campus of Will's school and was impressed. It was only five years old and already had produced some new up and coming film makers in the industry and had promoted a very high percentage of its graduates to film colleges which he knew was next on Will's list of goals.

He had the cab drive him all around the campus and then back to the Meade apartment. It was close to five when he got back and he realized he hadn't eaten anything all day, so he called out for a pizza and then sat back in front of the computer to review some more real estate listings. He wanted to be settled into a house and his new job by the time Will moved there next summer. The house was number one on his list, the job would come with time.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Dad, Hilda, Julio, Justin…….I'm here."

Betty could hear laughing from the kitchen so she hung up her coat in the entryway and headed toward it. Her father saw her first and turned to greet her from his place in front of the stove.

"Mi hija…..I'm so glad you are here."

Betty smiled and hugged her father tightly Before pulling back.

"I'm sorry I wasn't here earlier, I fell asleep, can you believe that ?"

She laughed. A voice from the other room replied.

"Well, you work too hard."

She turned and smiled as Justin entered the kitchen. She walked over and hugged him.

"Justin. It is so great to see you."

She pulled back.

"You look handsome."

He twirled around in his latest Ralph Lauren ensemble and smiled.

"It's good to see you too."

Betty greeted Hilda and Julio with equal enthusiasm and handed off the wine to Ignacio to put in the refrigerator.

They ate dinner in casual conversation, Betty filled them in about the CFO changes at Meade and the announcement at the Black and White Ball. Justin filled them in on his recent travels and Hilda updated everyone on the gossipy happenings at her salon. It was just a typically fun and happy Sunday meal that always calmed Betty and kept her feet on the ground no matter how demanding her job was any given week.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Hours later they all sat around the living room and Justin distributed the wine to everyone. Hilda sat in a chair and Julio on the arm at her side. After everyone had their wine, he cleared his throat to get the attention of the room.

"As you know, six years ago, I asked this beautiful lady sitting to my left to marry me and she agreed. Well, after six long years, she has finally agreed to set a date."

Everyone clapped and smiled. Julio motioned for them to be quiet again.

"So, I hope you will join us when we get married on the evening of New Year's Eve. I'd like to propose a toast to my lovely bride to be and to my son to be."

He smiled over at Justin who, Betty could tell, was very happy with this news.

Everyone raised their glasses and toasted. Betty loved family moments like this and she could not have been happier for them. They all talked about the upcoming wedding, the Black and While Ball and Christmas until it was late. Betty looked at her watch and frowned.

"Okay, everyone, I have got to go and get to bed. I have back to back meetings all week to get ready for the ball. Plus, since this is the first full week in December all of the year end stuff is going to start creeping up on me so I need to be getting organized."

She got up from the couch and hugged everyone and wished Julio and Hilda the best and then she headed home.

**_--- to be continued ---_**

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

_**Second Author's Note :**_ _When I write about restaurants, tourist's spots, etc. I like to use real places in the city I am writing about. But, after doing some research on private schools in New York that had specialized curriculums, I couldn't find a real one that was exactly what I wanted, so Will's new school is totally from my imagination so please bear with my creative liberties._


	3. Chapter 3

_**Author's Note : **Here we go ! As a reminder, this is set 13 years in the future. And, this is a Betty/Henry fic….Chapter 1 and 2 bring you up to date on everyone's lives up to this point and now the story begins……and I'll tell you, there was one point in this chapter, where I literally think I stopped breathing...I think you'll know when._

_Thanks for all of the reviews and kind words of encouragement. Individual moments for this one have been swimming around in my head and in my dreams for weeks so I am having fun putting it all together._

_As usual, my inspiration comes from TvGuide's 2007 Couple of the Year, Betty and Henry but the love is all for my friends at Instant Connection, the best place to hang out if you are in love with this couple. Special thanks to Teri for brainstorming with me on how one scene should probably play out. Sometimes you just have to say it out loud to someone for it to make sense._

**Chapter 3**

Betty got to the office early as usual. Monday mornings were always hectic. She walked into her office passing her assistant on the way in. She sat her bag down, hung up her coat and pressed the intercom button on her phone.

"Ava, can you come in here for a minute. I want to go over my calendar for the week, I don't think I have everything in my planner."

"_Sure, I'll be right in."_

Ava had been Betty's assistant for about two years now. She typically kept an assistant for about that long before figuring out what they really wanted to do in the business and moving them along to their next goal. She and Ava would have to sit down after the first of the year and put that in motion.

Ava walked in to Betty's office looking smart in a simple business suit and her hair up which played down what Betty thought was her natural beauty. But, Ava was all business. Betty was pretty convinced she would send her to the editorial department next and have the feature editor assign Ava some writing assignments while she trained a new assistant for Betty.

Ava sat down across from Betty and pulled out her print out of Betty's current calendar for the next two weeks. Betty reached in her briefcase and pulled out her planner as well.

They started to review, when Betty noticed a discrepancy.

"A conference call with Daniel at three today ? When did that get in here ?"

Ava looked at her.

"He called with it this morning. He said he would be in your office a little before three and that I should expect a call at three for both of you."

"He didn't say what it was about ?"

"Nope."

"I hate it when he does that. Okay, I'll call him."

They continued to go through the schedule. Everything else seemed to match up with the exception of a few meetings with the accounting department that she had expected to get added to go over the preliminaries for year-end financial deadlines.

"Okay, looks good. Thanks, Ava. Can you just make those couple of corrections and then print me out some new pages for my planner ?"

Ava smiled.

"Of course. Did you need anything else ? Coffee ? Bagel ?"

Betty smiled at her.

"You know I hate it when you get me that stuff."

"I know, but you're so busy. It's really no trouble."

Betty smiled.

"Coffee would be great. Thanks."

Ava grinned.

"No problem and also Christina did call, she has your mask ready for the ball."

Betty almost giggled.

"Oh, good. Thanks."

Ava nodded and left the office to go back to her desk. Betty picked up her phone and dialed.

_"Daniel Meade's office."_

"Amanda, is Daniel in, I need to speak to him."

_"One minute and I'll put you through."_

Betty waited. Amanda had been Daniel's assistant ever since he and Alexis had taken over Meade. She was still friends with Marc St. James even though he and Wilhelmina had gone to work for another publishing house but her loyalty had stayed with Meade. She seemed perfectly intent with her role and had matured a great deal over the years.

Meanwhile, Amanda let Daniel know Betty was holding. He shook his head. He knew this call was coming. He took a deep breath and picked up the phone.

_"Daniel Meade."_

"Daniel, it's Betty. You have got to give me more information when you schedule these impromptu conference calls. What is this one about today ?"

Daniel had been trying to think of some answer for this all morning, something that would not be a lie but would satisfy her curiosity enough. He wasn't sure this would do it.

_"We're making some changes in the Finance department next year and this call is just to go over those and get your approval before we set anything in stone."_

He waited.

"So, is the call with James ? Why don't we just meet……"

He interrupted her.

_"No, it's not with James."_

"Who then ?"

At just that moment, his intercom line beeped.

_"Can you hold on one second, Betty ?"_

Betty sighed.

"It's okay, take the call, I've got a meeting with Ruben anyway. I'll see you at three."

_"Okay."_

Daniel disconnected and realized he had been holding his breath. Amanda told him his wife was on the phone. He picked up the line.

"Lindsay, have I told you lately, you are my favorite wife ?"

She laughed and he continued.

"You just diverted a crisis."

"_Glad I could help. Is Betty still coming over for dinner ?"_

"Well, she doesn't know it, but yes."

"_Okay, I just wanted to make sure."_

"We'll see you around five probably, I imagine we'll leave early."

"_Alright. Love you."_

"Love you too."

He hung up the phone and went back to work.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Christina was sitting in her office going over some papers when Betty walked in after lunch. They had removed the "love dungeon" after Daniel and Alexis had taken over Meade. This had opened up more space for the closet and given Christina some actual office space with a closet slash design area of her own.

"Hey."

Christina looked up and smiled.

"Hey, yourself."

"Ava said you had my mask ready."

Betty rubbed her hands together in anticipation. Every year, Christina made her a feathered mask for the ball using the most beautiful RED feathers she could find. This was one of the nights when Betty wore her hated contacts but the red-feathered mask was her trademark.

Daniel and Alexis had kept the tradition of the Black and White Ball after their father had died but they had updated it to be a masked ball, which always brought out the most elaborately decorated masks. After the first year, the photographers waiting in the arrival area were more interested in the masks than what everyone was wearing.

The masks were to be black, white or natural feather colored. They could just cover the eye area or the whole face. Betty was the only one that wore red. She loved it.

Christina smiled and got up from behind her desk.

"It's in here. Come on."

She led her to her private closet away from prying eyes. She pulled an open box over that was lying on a design table in the middle of the smaller closet and pulled the mask from the tissue it was nestled in. Betty gasped. It was gorgeous.

"Christina, you have outdone yourself this year. It is gorgeous."

"Well, that's my goal every year. I'm glad you like it."

Betty ran her hands over the feathers and the jewels she had added around the eyes and sides. She looked up and smiled.

"I love it."

Christina smiled.

"Your dress will be ready Thursday."

Betty laid the mask back in the box and took the lid from the bottom and closed it.

"Great, thank you so much for always trying to make me look beautiful."

"Betty, you are beautiful, every day. You just don't see it. This is the one night I get to show you off."

Betty laughed.

"Well, thanks. So, lunch tomorrow ?"

"I've got it on my calendar."

"Me too."

"Talk to you later."

Betty took the box and went back upstairs. She looked at her watch. It was two-thirty. She'd stop by layout and then head to her office for the conference call Daniel had scheduled. She frowned. He never did tell her who the call was with, probably just some senior accountant.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Henry paced around the living room of the Meade apartment trying to go over what he was going to say. He knew the minute he heard her voice, all pre-planned thoughts were going to disappear so he had written down some talking points on some note cards to help him stay focused. He spoke out loud to himself.

"Just get to the point and get it over with."

He was a grown man. He was a professional. He could do this. He sighed. He had never been more nervous in his life.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Betty, you ready ?"

Daniel strode into her office a few minutes before three and closed the door behind him. She looked up at him.

"I guess."

He sat down in the chair across from her and she cleared off her desk except for a pad of paper and a pen. She moved the phone so it was more centered between her and Daniel.

"So, you never told me….."

Her intercom rang in. It was Ava.

"Your three o'clock call is on line one."

"Thanks, Ava."

Betty didn't notice the panic wash over Daniel's face or the deep breath he took before she looked at him. He looked directly at her and she at him before he spoke.

"I'm right here."

She looked at him confused and pressed the speakerphone button on the phone.

"Betty Suarez."

There was just a second of silence and then his voice.

"_Betty, it's Henry."_

Her breath, he heart, her brain, everything stopped when he said her name. She looked at Daniel and he mouthed encouraging words to her and she looked back at the phone that was now silent. The caller ID had an Arizona area code.

"Henry."

On the other end, Henry breathed again. His name from her mouth was music to his ears.

"_It's good to hear your voice."_

He waited for a reply but he didn't really expect one. He had been dealing with the nervousness of calling her all day, she was dealing with it right now. So, he continued, looking down at his notes.

_"Listen, I know I am the last person you expected to be talking to today, probably ever. I know when I left, we had an agreement to move on with life and not keep in touch but something has come up and I need to talk to you."_

Betty's confusion and disbelief were quickly replaced by concern.

"Is everything okay ? Is Will okay ?"

She knew his son's name. He had to fight the tears that threatened to form at the rim of his eyes.

_"I'm fine. Will is fine. Thank you for asking."_

More silence so he took a breath and continued.

_"Betty, I received a phone call from Daniel and Alexis a few weeks ago."_

Betty looked at Daniel, somewhat irritated as Henry continued.

_"They offered me the position of Chief Financial Officer at Meade when James leaves at the end of the year. Due to personal reasons I won't go into now, the offer came at the perfect time and I was inclined to accept, under one condition."_

He paused.

_"Betty, I need your okay before I'll do this. A lot of time has gone by and if my coming back to Meade is going to negatively effect your life or your career in any way then I will turn down the offer."_

Betty pressed the mute button on the phone and glared at Daniel.

"What have you done ?"

"Betty, he is the best one for the job. You know this was a good choice. He has done amazing things at Maldonado Publishing. We need him to do the same here at Meade. His ideas and….."

Betty hushed him with her eyes.

"I know what he has done at Maldonado, I have seen every award, every statistic. I've watched his career since he left. But, you could have told me."

"It was his condition. He wanted to talk to you himself."

Neither was paying attention to the phone anymore when Henry spoke again.

"_Betty ? Daniel ?"_

Betty pressed the mute button again.

"I'm sorry, Henry."

His heart sank.

"I was just talking to Daniel about some improvements he needs to make in his communication skills."

Henry laughed. She realized her memories were nothing compared to the real thing.

_"Please don't be mad at Daniel, I made him let me tell you as a condition of me even considering the offer."_

"Well, I'll deal with him later. In the meantime, would you mind if I put you on hold for another minute while I chat with Daniel ?"

_"Not at all. Take your time."_

She pressed the mute button again. She stood from her desk and walked over to the window with her back to Daniel. She took her glasses off and rubbed her eyes before returning them to her face.

She could do this, right ? She was a grown woman now, an executive at Meade Publishing and she was a professional. So what if he was the most eligible bachelor in Tucson. Here, he was just another guy, some guy that would run the finance department at Meade. She probably would rarely have to meet with him since she rarely met with James now. She mainly dealt with the accountant assigned to MODE.

And he said there were personal reasons that the offer had come at a good time. Maybe he needed this job, maybe it was something to do with Will or with Charlie. It was a good opportunity and Meade could use his expertise. She took her suit jacket off and flung it on the chair by the window and then took a deep breath.

She turned back to her desk and saw Daniel start to speak. She held up her hand to stop him before he got a sound out. This was her call, he had said so himself. She sat back down at her desk and pressed the mute button.

"Henry ?"

Again, he had not realized he had been holding his breath.

_"Yes."_

"Thank you for holding. You're right, a lot of time has gone by and I want to first thank you for keeping your end of the bargain about not contacting me after you left. It did make things……easier. But, as you said, things come up. Right now Meade needs someone with your expertise and ideas to move forward. I've kept track of your career at Maldonado and I think Daniel and Alexis made an excellent choice when they extended the offer to you. So, I guess, what I am saying is welcome back to Meade."

Daniel let out a breath of relief, as did Henry.

_"Thank you, Betty. You have no idea how glad I am to hear you say that."_

And you have no idea how hard it is for me to say it, thought Betty. Because, who was she kidding, seeing him at all was going to bring back so much……so much that she had long since tried to lock away.

"Henry……"

It was Daniel's turn to speak.

"……I'll get the contracts sent to you later this week based on the conditions and the figures we discussed. And, as I told you, I'll be making it official at the Black and While Ball on Saturday night."

_"That's fine."_

"Okay, well. I'll talk to you soon. Goodbye."

_"Goodbye, and Betty, thank you again."_

"Your welcome, Henry. See you soon."

Sooner than you think, thought Henry as he closed his cell phone. Betty clicked off her phone. Daniel waited for her to speak because he knew he deserved whatever she had to say.

She looked up at him.

"I need to get out of here. Go for a drink with me ?"

He looked at her a little concerned at her calm.

"Sure."

She nodded and clicked her intercom.

"Ava, clear my calendar for the rest of the day, I'm leaving."

_"Already done, Ms. Suarez. Have a good evening."_

Betty hung up the phone and looked at Daniel.

"I told her when I came in, I thought you'd need to get out of here."

She looked around her office and then back at him.

"Let's go and you're buying."

He laughed.

"It's the least I can do."

She got her suit jacket, her purse and the box with her mask in it. Daniel grabbed her coat while she turned off her computer and they left.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Henry sat down on the couch and pulled his glasses off, tossing them onto the coffee table. He leaned back on the couch and closed his eyes.

She said okay.

He knew she would but still, this was really happening. Up until this moment, he had only thought of this change as a move for Will and taking the job at Meade was about business and doing what he did best.

But, right now, he realized, he had never stopped loving her.

Until now, though, he didn't have to think about it. He had filed it all away in his heart, every minute of those five months; her smile, her laugh, holding her, kissing her, loving her.

He was here for a job and to be near his son. But, he would never leave her again. After hearing her voice today, he knew he was here for more than the obvious reasons, he was here for her.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

It was late when Betty got home from Daniel's. She walked into her apartment on auto-pilot and tossed her purse and coat in the entryway closet. Lindsay had wanted her to stay the night, but she knew she would feel better if she came home and slept, or didn't sleep, in her own bed.

Her answering machine was blinking with messages but she just passed it and walked to her bedroom. She stood in front of the closet and got undressed. She walked into the bathroom and grabbed her sleep shirt off the hook on the back of the door and slipped it over her head.

She brushed her teeth and washed her face and then walked into the bedroom, pulled back the covers and fell into bed.

It wasn't like she had never thought about him in the last thirteen years. There were many times when something at work reminded her of him, like the first time Ava had screwed up her expense report or the first Christmas Party after he left. But, the details of their last five months had been locked in her heart since he left and today she felt them start to slip out.

She had never stopped loving him.

He had wanted her to give him the okay to come back, to say that she was okay with him being back at Meade. And she did. But, he was here for a job and for some other reason she would eventually find out about, but he wasn't here for her. She'd let herself have tonight, to dream and to remember but tomorrow she would get back to business.

_**-- to be continued --**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Author's Note :** First of all, thank you for all of the positive reviews. I am loving this story as much as you guys and hope that each chapter gives you something to smile about while we all hang together during this holiday hiatus. _

_As always, dedicated to the I-C BH shippers……LOVE YOU GUYS !!!! Happy Secret Santa Day !! Special thanks to Elizabeth for talking me through this chapter, it made all the difference in how it turned out._

_One of my reviewers suggested that Betty would surely have new glasses by now and I just want to say that I agree. Please be assured that Betty does indeed have new glasses by now but they still have her signature RED frame._

_Enjoy !!_

_- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - _

**Chapter 4**

Betty got to the office a little late the next day. She had called Ava from her apartment to let her know and her assistant had not been surprised. She had moved the only morning appointment Betty had to the afternoon.

Daniel called her when she got there to make sure she was okay. She had lied and said yes but she was determined to let last night be the only night she contemplated Henry's return and let her emotions get the best of her until he actually showed up in town.

She spent the rest of the week in meetings since the book had to be closed and to the printers on Friday afternoon and she had all the extra accounting meetings with Ruben to get everything in place for year-end closing. By the time Friday morning rolled around she was ready for the weekend.

Her phone rang around eleven.

"Betty Suarez."

_"Betty, it's Christina, I have your dress ready. You want to come down and try it on one last time ?"_

Betty looked at her watch and her calendar. She was free until two.

"Sure, and then lunch in the cafeteria ?"

_"Sounds good."_

"I'll be right down."

Betty closed up the book, put it in her drawer and locked her desk. She walked by Ava's desk and told her she would be back after lunch and available via cell phone if needed.

Christina was waiting for her. Her dress this year was all black, a fairly straight cut that fit snuggly to her body, and accentuated her rather healthy bust line that everyone forgot about until Christina insisted on showing it off at the ball every year. It always made Betty roll her eyes and yank on the top to try to cover herself up and it always made Christina laugh.

The dress had thin clear-jeweled encrusted straps. There were the same jewels around the bodice, the waist and the bottom of the dress. The dress was cut low in the back, too low for Betty, but Christina assured her it was tasteful and as she did every year, she trusted her. The clear jewels were also strung in three loosely hung rows across the missing back.

She had to admit that having a dress made specifically for you did make you feel more comfortable in it. As she slipped carefully into the dress, Christina began talking.

"So, no more phone calls from Henry ?"

"No, thank God. I swear Christina it was like the breath just left my body when I heard his voice."

"I'm sure. I can't believe he is coming back. What do you think will happen with the two of you ? Will you pick up where you left off ?"

"How can we ? It's been thirteen years."

"I know, but it's not like you were mad at each other when he left. You were totally and completely in love."

In some way, Betty was afraid she was right. They hadn't parted on bad terms other than the fact that they were parting. What if he expected things to just pick up where they left off ? What **did** she expect ? Oh God.

"Betty ?"

Betty realized Christina had been talking to her while she had been off in another world.

"Sorry, what ?"

"Are you okay ?"

"No. I should never have agreed to him coming back."

Betty turned around while Christina tugged at the dress.

"Betty, what do you want to happen ? Because I know Henry, and nothing is going to happen that you don't want to happen."

Betty smiled.

"You're right, he'll be looking to me for a sign."

Betty groaned.

"Do you still love him ?"

"I don't know….I mean……I loved him so much back then……I'm glad we had those five months but when he left, my heart was broken……"

Christina walked around and stood in front of her.

"Do you love him ?"

Betty nodded.

"I will always love him."

They finished the fitting on the dress and Christina promised to bring it up later for her to take home for the ball the next night. Betty got dressed back in her skirt, blouse and sweater and they headed to lunch.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

At five, Betty looked up at her clock and then at Ruben, who was sitting across from her.

"Ruben, I can't hear another number or listen to another statistic. Can we pick this up Monday ?"

Ruben smiled and looked at his watch.

"Of course, Ms. Suarez. We already have time set for Monday, so this can wait."

She sighed.

"Thank you."

Ruben gathered the papers he had brought from her desk and put them haphazardly in folders so he could get out of her office as soon as possible. He was grateful to be working with her, she was one of the few editors that understood year-end accounting issues and processing and she was always well prepared.

He left her office with a wave and a goodbye. She smiled.

"Have a good weekend, Ruben."

As he left, Christina walked in carrying a dress bag.

"Here you go, Ms. Editor in Chief."

Betty laughed.

"Thank you. Now, you are coming over tomorrow afternoon to get me into this ensemble, right ?"

"Yes, ma'am, I'll be there around five. Justin is taking you as always, right ?"

Betty smiled. Justin had been Betty's standing date for the ball for the last three years once he had graduated from college. At his current position at Ralph Lauren he probably would not have had the opportunity and since Betty believed in networking, etc. she had started bringing him with her. Plus, it gave her a date and kept everyone from bugging her about bringing someone.

"Yes, he is. Poor kid."

"Oh, no, he loves it."

Betty smiled.

"Actually, he does. Alright, I'm getting out of here as soon as I drop the book downstairs for the printer. See you tomorrow."

Christina left and Betty cleared off her desk and grabbed her purse and coat. She picked up the book and headed out.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Henry's week had been equally busy. He had sent two of his favorite tuxes to be cleaned and pressed because he couldn't decide which one he would wear to the ball. He had stopped by the costume shop and picked up his mask. It was a full-face mask that would cover his entire face. It was made with all natural colored feathers and the effect was that of a tiger, or as he preferred to think of it, a jungle cat.

He and Daniel had played a game of basketball on Wednesday night at his and Lindsay's house and then had dinner. Daniel had won the game, but he had been impressed with Henry's skill and promised to continue to pick up games with him when he could. Henry had really liked Lindsay and could see Daniel had changed a lot in the last thirteen years. He was clearly devoted to his new family. Their little boy, Bradford was also very cute and personable. Henry had held him and talked to him after dinner while they sat in the living room. Lindsay watched him with her son and smiled and then asked the one question that had been hanging in the air all night.

"So, Henry, are you nervous about seeing Betty tomorrow night ?"

Before Henry had a chance to answer, Bradford started clapping.

"Betty ! Betty !"

He looked at Henry and grinned. Henry laughed and smiled back at him.

"You know Betty ?"

Daniel replied for his son.

"He loves Betty."

Henry smiled and then looked up at Daniel more seriously.

"What's not to love ?"

Bradford started playing with Henry's glasses and Henry looked at Lindsay.

"Back to your question, yes, I am nervous. It's been a long time and I don't know what to expect as far as a reaction from her."

"Well, even though you haven't spoken in all this time, when you left, were things bad ?"

Henry smiled weakly.

"Only because I had to leave. We were very much in love."

Lindsay looked at Daniel who nodded and then back to Henry.

"And now ?"

"I'm back in New York for good. I have no plans to go back to Tucson. When Will finishes school here he will be off to college and the rest of his life. My life will somewhat be my own again. I plan to spend the rest of it here."

"Does Betty know this ?"

"No, but she will."

Henry looked determined.

"And how do you feel about her now ?"

Daniel looked at Lindsay.

"Linds, he may not want to share with us."

Lindsay looked at Henry.

"I'm sorry, I have a tendency to get carried away with adult conversations when I've been spending a lot of time with Bradford. You don't have to answer."

Henry laughed and this caused Bradford to laugh. He finally tugged Henry's glasses from his face and tried to put them on himself.

"I'm Betty."

Everyone laughed. Henry put his nose to Bradford's.

"Hi Betty, you look beautiful. Now let me have those back so I can see. Can you put them back on me, please ?"

Bradford smiled and put the glasses back on Henry, well, almost.

"You, Betty."

Everyone laughed. Henry turned to Lindsay.

"I will always love her."

Lindsay smiled.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Betty stood in front of the mirror while Hilda tried to finish putting her hair up on her head. She had put rollers in earlier to give it big curls and then piled it all on her head with what Betty thought had to be at least a thousand bobby pins and a full can of hairspray. Hilda had pulled a few strands loose to rest on her shoulders. She was certain the hairdo was not going anywhere.

Betty was still wearing her glasses, trying to keep an eye on what Hilda was doing to her while Justin paced around handing his mother stuff on demand.

"You see, Hilda, I could never do this every day, it takes way to long to be this Betty. I'm perfectly happy with the one that takes less than thirty minutes to get ready. This is like a Broadway production."

"Aye, Betty, be still, I'm almost done."

Betty sighed and tried to sit still. After another ten minutes Hilda stood back and surveyed her work.

"There, done, you look fantastic. Well, your hair does."

Betty turned around and looked in the mirror. Wow. She really did look different, but she could see the real Betty peaking through slightly.

"Thank you, Hilda, as always."

"You are welcome."

The doorbell rang.

"Justin, can you get that, it will be Christina."

A few minutes later Christina and Justin came back in the bedroom.

"Okay, everyone out but Christina, so she can get me into the rest of this getup and then we'll be ready to go."

Justin and Hilda moaned.

"Alright, we'll be in the living room waiting."

Betty groaned.

"Alright. Out, out….."

Hilda and Justin left.

"Christina, you look great."

Christina did a little twirl and smiled.

"Thank you very much. Okay, let's get you dressed."

Betty put her contacts in first and then slipped from her robe so Christina could help her get dressed. In another twenty minutes she was ready. She walked out into the living room where Hilda and Justin were arguing about something to do with the upcoming wedding.

Christina whistled to get their attention. They were silenced not by the whistle but by the sight of Betty when they turned their heads. Hilda stood up, her mouth open.

"My God, Betty, you look, I don't know, amazing, fantastic, gorgeous. Have you lost weight, been working out, what ?"

Betty laughed.

"I'm the same person you see every Sunday if not more often, please close your mouth. If I've lost weight it's just because I am busy but I think it is just the dress."

Justin got up and walked around her surveying the dress. He looked at Christina.

"Is this yours ?"

Christina smiled proudly.

"It is, I always make her dress for the ball."

He smiled.

"It is your best work ever. I don't know why you stay at MODE. You should go to work for one of the big name designers, get your own line."

Betty frowned and smacked Justin in the arm.

"Owww….."

"Quit trying to steal my creative director."

"I'm sorry, but this dress is amazing."

Betty turned to Christina.

"Looks like you've performed another annual miracle."

"The miracle is getting you to step out of your comfort zone one night a year."

Betty smiled.

"Justin, you ready ?"

"Yes, Aunt Betty, I am."

Betty grabbed her mask, her wrap and her small purse and she, Christina and Justin left. Hilda stayed behind to clean up the destruction in the bedroom and bathroom. Christina and Stuart went in their own limo and Betty in Justin in another.

They arrived at the hotel where the ball was being held at about six-thirty. Betty liked to arrive a little early to avoid some of the paparazzi but there were always so many there already it never seemed to matter. When they pulled up, she secured her red mask to her face and looked at Justin.

"I hate this part."

"I know, just stay with me and we'll get in as soon as possible."

Betty smiled.

"Thank you, Justin and if I didn't already tell you, you look very handsome tonight."

Justin smiled.

"You already did, but thank you again."

The doorman opened the door of the limo and Justin stepped out first. As he reached in to take Betty's hand, the lights started flashing. She stepped from the limo gracefully with her smile that lit the night. Justin put his arm through hers and they walked into the hotel without incident. When they got into the elevator, Justin let go of her arm.

"There, the hardest part is over."

If only.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The evening was enjoyable. Betty danced with most everyone on the Executive staff including Daniel and she was really enjoying herself, she had needed this night. She hadn't thought about Henry all night, until Daniel took his leave from her to go get ready to make the announcement.

She looked for Justin who was over talking to someone from Ralph Lauren but when he saw her look at him, he quickly excused himself and came to her side.

"Did Daniel abandon you ?"

Betty laughed.

"No, he had to go get ready for the announcement."

The band started playing another song. Justin held out his hand.

"Well, then may I have this dance ?"

She smiled.

"Of course."

As they danced he told her all the designers in the room had been asking about her dress. She was pleased that Christina's work was getting praised. They talked about his next trip and she talked about the next issue of MODE. When the song ended, they turned and clapped for the band and then the bandleader spoke.

"And, now we're going to try something a little different, for this next song, I want everyone to find a partner that they have not danced with tonight."

There was a murmur across the dance floor as everyone mulled around. Justin looked at his aunt and smiled.

"Well, I guess you are on your own."

Betty frowned.

"Great."

But, just as she spoke she felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around. A man stood before her in a very well fitting black tux, his mask was a full facial mask that looked like a tiger. He bowed before her and held out his hand.

Behind her, Justin whispered in her ear.

"Have fun."

She looked at the man and smiled. As the music began to play, she put her hand in his and he pulled her toward him to dance, resting his hand on her waist and holding her other hand to the side in his. They began to dance.

"Thank you for saving me, I think I have danced with everyone here tonight."

He merely nodded.

"Ah, the silent type, a quiet dance it is then, I will enjoy that."

And, with that, the man let his arm slip around her waist and pulled her closer. She supposed she should have resisted but he seemed harmless, after all, it had to be someone she knew if he was here. She let herself be pulled in and she rested her head on his chest. He was tall, maybe six feet or more. He pulled their hands in and rested them on the lapel of his tux and she let the music and his lead move her around the dance floor.

Her mind drifted as she relaxed and her eyes closed. She could hear his heart beating and it soothed her. She started remembering, remembering dancing in Henry's arms like this. Of course, it wasn't at the ball, it was just in his apartment but it was wonderful. She had felt so safe and loved in his arms.

This man was slender but athletic, he was a good dancer and she was enjoying the dance. Soon, she could tell the music was ending and she leaned up, pulling away slightly and looked at the man before her.

As the music ended, their hands dropped and he moved his hand from her waist.

"Thank you, that was fun, you are a great dancer."

The man took her hand and bowed. He looked to the stage and disappeared into the crowd.

"Wait……"

As the man made his way toward the stage, he passed Justin and put his hand on the his shoulder. He leaned in and whispered.

"Your Aunt is going to need you in a minute."

He walked off before Justin could reply. The voice sounded oddly familiar but he couldn't place it. He walked toward Betty who was standing talking to Lindsay.

"So, who was that ?"

Betty turned to him.

"I don't know, he ran off before I could ask him. He was a great dancer though."

Betty noticed attention turning toward the front of the room and Daniel made his way to a stage area and a microphone, presumably for the CFO announcement. Amanda stood in the back of the stage area.

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention, please."

The crowd quieted and the press moved to the front near Daniel with cameras ready.

"Ladies and gentlemen, as you know from press releases sent out last week, long time CFO James Collins will be retiring at the end of the year."

As Daniel spoke, Betty saw another man walk onto the stage, it was the man Betty had just been dancing with and he walked toward Amanda. With his back to the audience, Betty saw him remove his mask and hand it to Amanda.

"Oh my God, no."

"Aunt Betty, what is it ?"

Betty removed her own mask as the man turned around. Justin gasped.

"At this time, I would like to announce, that we have extended an offer to the former CFO of Maldonado Publishing and he has graciously accepted. Ladies and gentlemen, I hope you'll join me in welcoming our newest member to the Meade family, the next CFO of Meade Publishing, Henry Grubstick."

Lights flickered and cameras flashed. Henry slowly walked to the microphone and shook Daniel's hand. While the camera's flashed he scanned the crowd looking for her red mask, looking for any sign of her reaction but he could not find her.

Daniel leaned over to him.

"You might want to say a few words."

Just as he moved toward the microphone, he spotted her. She had taken off her mask and was looking at him is utter disbelief. As soon as their eyes met, she turned and headed to the back of the room where doors led out to a terrace. He watched her disappear outside.

He spoke to the press and answered one or two questions before begging off to let the ball continue promising to give a more lengthy statement once he was on board after the first of the year. He turned one last time and shook Daniel's hand and then leaned over to whisper to him.

"I have to find her."

"Go on, I've got it from here."

Henry quickly left the stage and headed to the terrace where he had seen Betty disappear and Justin follow. As he walked outside, he saw her standing on the far side with her back to the door. Justin approached him and Henry held out his hand. Justin hesitantly took it in a firm handshake.

"It's nice to see you, Justin. I've followed your career, very impressive."

"Thank you."

He looked toward his aunt and back to Henry. Henry smiled.

"It's okay, I need to talk to her. We'll be fine."

For some reason, Justin believed him and nodded. He turned and left the terrace. Henry tried to not be distracted by the back of Betty's dress as he approached her, or lack of it. When he stood just a couple of feet away, she shivered.

He quickly removed his tux jacket and gently laid it around her shoulders. She took a deep breath and pulled it close to warm her. He stepped back.

"Betty. Betty, I'm so sorry about the phone call this week, I know it was a shock. I know I promised that I would stay away and let you live your life. This was just an opportunity that I could not pass up. When Will started junior high, he got involved in photography and then filmmaking. He went to a camp last year in Arizona and entered a contest with a film he had made. He won the contest. He was the youngest to ever win it."

She could hear the pride in his voice and continued to listen.

"The prize, ironically, was a full four year scholarship to a private high school here in New York for aspiring film makers. It includes tuition, room and board. Charlie and I talked about it and we agreed that he had worked hard for it and we wanted him to have the opportunity even though he would be so far away from home. So he accepted the scholarship."

So this was why he had wanted to come to New York.

"I didn't seek out a job here, I still wanted to keep my promise to you but when Daniel and Alexis called me, I had to reconsider. Being close to Will while he went to school just seemed like the right thing to do. It made me feel better and it also made Charlie feel better knowing I would be close to him if he needed me."

It warmed Betty's heart to hear in Henry's voice just how much he loved his son.

"So, here I am. Will is still in Tucson to finish his 8th grade year. He'll go to camp next summer here in New York and then start school next fall. He'll live on campus but now, because of you, I will be nearby. Betty, I just want the chance to do my job, be here for Will and maybe reconnect in some way to you. Do you think we could try that ?"

She listened to him, to this man, that she admittedly loved who was standing two feet behind her and whom she hadn't seen in thirteen years until a few minutes ago. She wanted to turn around, she wanted to look at him, she wanted thirteen years to melt away in a minute.

Slowly, she turned around. He smiled at her. She took a step forward and reached up to touch his face. She wanted to know he was real, that he was really standing there. When she touched him, he closed his eyes and relished the contact. She brushed his hair into place and she ran her hand down his cheek.

"Your hair is longer."

He opened his eyes and smiled.

"A little. Your braces are gone."

She smiled. He had missed that smile and it was more radiant than ever without her braces. In fact, she was breathtaking. He put his hand to her cheek and she leaned into the touch.

"And, you aren't wearing your glasses."

She smiled.

"I still do, just contacts on nights like this. Christina gets to play and is in charge of this Betty on this night."

He looked into her eyes and she into his. He wanted a sign, any sign from her that would tell him there was a chance this could happen, again. She blinked and looked up at him.

"Betty…."

He saw hope and it made his heart skip a beat, but he also saw apprehension and uncertainty. He leaned his forehead to hers and closed his eyes. He wanted to kiss her so badly. They stood that way for a couple of minutes and then he pulled back. She looked at him confused. He stepped backward and held out his hand.

"Come dance with me."

She smiled and nodded putting her hand in his and they walked hand in hand to the ballroom door. When they stepped inside she shrugged his jacket from her shoulders and handed it back to him. He put the jacket on and they walked side by side to the dance floor.

Many eyes were on them when they walked in from the terrace; Daniel, Lindsay, Christina and Justin. They all watched for a sign that they were okay. Betty and Henry however had eyes only for each other. They walked to the center of the dance floor and Henry pulled her into arms and they began to dance. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

_**--- to be continued ---**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**Author's Note :**__ Sorry for the real life holiday hiatus…..but I am back home and at my computer again, so everything should be back on track for an update every 2 – 3 days until the end._

_As usual, my thanks to everyone that has read and reviewed. Knowing people are enjoying the story and want to see more of it, is inspiring. Special thanks to the gang at Instant Connection, the hottest Henry Betty site on the internet._

**Chapter 5**

Betty sat at her desk Monday morning, in a daze, something she hadn't done in thirteen years. In fact, in the last week she had done several things she hadn't done in thirteen years. First, she had talked to Henry on the phone, then she had danced with him, last night she had dreamed about him, recalling memories really, and now this morning she was daydreaming about him.

They had danced two dances at the ball after coming off the terrace but he had left her to go talk to the press and others at Meade as he was obligated to do after the announcement. He told her he would call her later in the week and it all seemed a blissful blur at this point. But, she had touched him, touched his face, felt his breath in her hair when they danced. It was real but what was it today ?

Her phone startled her out of her thoughts.

"Betty Suarez."

It was Ava.

"_Betty, I have Mr. Grubstick on the phone for you."_

She smiled.

"Put him through."

"_Alright, and Ruben called, he's running a little late but will be up in ten minutes."_

Betty looked at her watch.

"Okay, just send him in when he gets here, even if I am still on the phone."

"_Yes, ma'am."_

Betty straightened up in her chair as she heard the phone click over.

"Henry ?"

"_Betty, good morning. I hope I am not bothering you."_

"Not at all, accounting is running late for a meeting so I have a few minutes."

She wondered what he would say to that.

"_Hmmmm, I'll have to work on their punctuality when I get there."_

She laughed.

"Please don't give Ruben any grief, he is the best MODE accountant I've had since I've been editor."

Henry chuckled.

"_Should I be jealous ?"_

She grinned to herself.

"Well, you were never the MODE accountant when I was editor, so I don't really know."

_"Hmmmm. Well, I didn't call to discuss work. Will came into town yesterday for the holidays and he is dying to meet you. I know this is a busy time of year at work, so, I was wondering if you maybe could spend the day with us this Saturday."_

"Saturday ? Henry…..I……"

He could hear the hesitation in her voice.

_"Look, Will will be with us the entire time, no ulterior motives. We're going to get our Christmas tree and do some sight seeing. You know, snow is new to Will like it was for me when I first came here. We're just going to enjoy the day. Please."_

Betty sighed and pulled over her planner in front of her. He could hear her flipping through paper.

"I have a photo shoot at Rockefeller Center that I promised Christina I would make an appearance at that morning but I should be done there by eleven. You and Will could meet me there and we can have lunch and see what happens from there. How's that ?"

_"I'll take what I can get. In fact, is it okay if we come a little early ? I'm sure Will would love to see the photo shoot in progress."_

"Of course."

Betty waited to see if he had more to say and she heard him take a breath.

_"Listen, I, uh, had a nice time at the ball the other night. Dancing with you brought back a lot of memories, a lot of good memories. I'm sorry I had to leave and deal with the press."_

She smiled.

"I had a nice time too, after the initial shock, of course. You've always been a very good slow dancer and I enjoyed the memories as well. Henry……."

She hesitated. It wasn't that she wanted to push him away. It was just harder for her to deal with all this. He had had weeks knowing he was coming and she was still getting used to it.

"….this is all just very overwhelming and to be honest in some ways, I am just trying to adjust. I have this life that is routine and my priorities have changed because of how my life has changed. I just need time to figure this out and I'm sure it is the same for you. You've changed too and we don't know each other the same way anymore."

He knew she was right, but somehow it just made him sad to think that there was so much about her now that he didn't know. Thirteen years was a lot of time even for him because she was right, he had changed too. But, deep down they knew each other better than anyone else and he wasn't about to forget that either.

_"Well, Saturday can be a starting point to change that, we'll see you at Rockefeller Center. Oh, and Betty, I do have a couple of meetings at Meade this week so you might see me around the office or I may just be in and out but I wanted to let you know."_

"Thank you for the heads up. See you Saturday, if not sooner."

Just as she hung up the phone, Ruben came strolling into her office. She smiled at him as he sat down across from her.

"Morning, Ruben.

"Good morning, Ms. Suarez."

She frowned at him and raised her eyebrows.

"I mean, Betty. I'm sorry, it is just hard for me to remember."

She laughed.

"It's okay Ruben. So, how are we doing ?"

"Really good, we only have a few more things to work on and we should be done until the review meeting."

"Good, let's get to it then."

The rest of the morning and some of the afternoon was spent crunching numbers and explaining expenses and budget overages for the year. When Ruben finally turned the page on the last spreadsheet, Betty couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Ruben laughed.

"Yep, this is the last one. You know all other magazines are at least a week behind us."

This perked Betty up.

"Really ?"

He nodded.

"It's been that way every year since you took over as editor. All of the other accountants are jealous of me for having your account."

Betty chuckled.

"Well, a long time ago, when I was just Daniel's assistant at MODE, my boyfriend was the MODE accountant so I guess I got used to his schedule and saw how he worked the account. I guess that turned out to be a plus for you."

Ruben smiled.

"It's a plus for both of us."

Ruben pulled the papers together and put them back in the folders he had brought.

"I will put in the updates we made and then schedule our review with the CFO for the first week of January. I bet we'll be first on the new guy's calendar."

Betty's eyebrows furrowed.

"We're reviewing with the new CFO ? We don't normally do that."

"His request. He wants to get up to speed on the accounts for each magazine when he starts and then hopefully we'll be back on our own."

Betty nodded, contemplating.

"Yes, hopefully."

Ruben stood up and got ready to leave.

"Do you know anything about Mr. Grubstick ? Were you here when he was here before ?"

Betty nodded.

"Yes, I was."

"What was he like ?"

"He's a good guy, fair and honest. He's a hard-worker and a perfectionist. He expects the best, but I imagine working for him, you would want to give him the best."

Ruben smiled.

"I've heard all good things about him. Apparently, he was the MODE accountant before he left here."

"Yes, he was. I was Daniel's assistant at the time."

Ruben looked at her like he was putting two and two together.

"But, you said, your boyfriend……wait, he was……you………"

Betty laughed and put him out of his misery as she saw the blush creep up his neck.

"He was my boyfriend at the time. And, I would prefer it if you kept that to yourself. I'm sure word will get around soon enough as it is."

Ruben suddenly couldn't get out of her office fast enough.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to pry. I just figured it out."

Betty laughed.

"It's okay, Ruben. It was a long time ago. We're friends now."

He didn't know what else to say, so he just turned and left. Betty laughed. She probably shouldn't have said anything but she figured it would come out soon enough anyway.

Betty looked at her watch. Three. She picked up her phone and called Christina. She then headed down to the closet to fill her in on the phone call from Henry.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

On Wednesday, Betty was in her weekly staff meeting in the conference room by her office going over the book layout for March. She liked to get a head start the first week after the book had been closed. The meeting was ending and she was standing at the door out of the conference room with her back to it. She had papers and folders in hand and her Blackberry poised in her other hand as she rattled off last minute assignments and the people in the room frantically wrote her directions down as she spoke.

"So, that's it, people. If you need time on my calendar in the next two days, I suggest you stay and talk to Ava because I am filling up fast. Any questions ?"

She waited and everyone was still busy making notes.

"Okay, see everyone next week."

She looked down at the message flashing on her Blackberry, turned and pushed open the door and flew out of the room in a flurry just in time to run head on into whoever had the misfortune of standing just outside of the door.

Her papers flew everywhere as she juggled her Blackberry to keep from dropping it too. Just as she managed to catch it, strong hands grabbed her upper arms to steady her. She looked up apologizing.

"I am so sorry. Henry ?"

Time stood still as she imagined, plastic snow falling all around them. He just grinned at her.

"Hi."

She smiled weakly.

"Hi. I am so sorry. I should be more careful."

He bent down to retrieve her folders and papers, then stood up to hand them to her.

"No, it was my fault. I should have known better than to stand in front of the door. I just got enthralled watching you run the meeting and everyone rushing to take notes from what you were saying."

She took the papers from him, smiling. She looked back in the room to see that everyone was still taking notes and talking to each other then looked back at him.

"I've learned if you give them a lot of information at the end, they seem to get more riled up and head out of there on a mission to get things done."

Henry nodded and straightened his glasses.

"Sounds like a good strategy. Look, I know it's last minute, but I was wondering if you were free for lunch."

"Uh….hold on."

Betty stuck her head back in the door to the conference room.

"Ava."

Everyone in the room stopped talking and Ava looked up at her.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Am I free for lunch ?"

Ava looked down at the planner she was writing in and then back up.

"You have nothing until two."

"Block me out until then."

Several sighs went up in the room and Ava smiled at Betty.

"Done."

Betty turned around; let the door close and smiled at Henry.

"Yes, I am free for lunch. I have to be back by two. Let me put this stuff in my office and get my coat."

Henry followed her down the hallway, smiling. They went into her office and she sat down her papers.

"Have a seat, I need to check my phone messages real quick."

Before he could reply she picked up the phone and dialed. Henry sat down in one of the chairs across from her desk.

"Amanda, it's Betty. Any messages ? Okay, can you just email those to Ava ? Thanks. Anything else ? Can it wait until after lunch ? Okay, put me through to him then."

She looked at Henry and held up one finger, frowning to let him know it would be one more minute.

"Daniel, what's up ? No. Yes. We finished on Monday. I don't know, he told me we would get on Henry's calendar first thing in January to review it. I should get a copy tomorrow. Okay. Yes. Okay, bye."

She hung up the phone and looked at Henry.

"Sorry. I'm ready."

"Already getting on my calendar, huh ?"

She laughed.

"Ruben and I finished year end on Monday and he said you wanted to review it personally so yes, I guess I am. Do you even have a calendar yet ?"

She got her coat and they started walking out of her office. Ava was back at her desk and she waved as Betty and Henry walked out. They got into the elevator and Henry pushed the button for the lobby.

"So, to answer your question, yes, I have email and a calendar already, unfortunately. I am bringing my assistant from Maldonado and she arrives on the second of January. Robert is not officially leaving until February first so they are setting up some temporary office space for us here on the MODE floor in Alexis's old office suite. I hope that's okay."

He looked at her questioningly. At this point nothing surprised her about Henry barging back into her life.

"No, no problem. You're going to be in the pink offices ?"

Henry laughed.

"Well, actually, Daniel has taken pity on me and apparently they are coming in to paint and redo the space this weekend. Hopefully, the colors will be a little more to my taste by the time I officially move in."

Betty smiled.

"So, where are we going to lunch ?"

"Um, actually, Will is waiting for us in the lobby, I thought we'd let him decide."

Betty looked up at him as the elevator reached the bottom floor. His son was here, suddenly her stomach was filled with butterflies and Henry could sense the change in her.

"It's okay, he doesn't bite."

Betty laughed nervously. The elevator doors opened and they walked into the lobby. Betty saw a boy near the doors rolling back and forth on tennis shoes with wheels in the bottom. She remembered when Justin had wanted a pair for Christmas.

The boy was tall for his age, with brown hair and an average build. When he looked up and saw his father, the smile that broke out on his face was all the proof she needed that this was Henry's son. It lit the room. He popped his wheels back in and walked over to them.

"Hey, dad."

She could see Will looking her up and down without trying to be obvious.

"Will, I'd like you to meet Betty."

Henry turned to her.

"Betty, this is my son, Will."

Betty smiled and held out her hand to Will. Will took it in his with a firm shake.

"Wow, dad was right, you have a beautiful smile. It is nice to meet you, Ms. Suarez."

Betty felt a blush creep up her neck as she shook Will's hand and then laughed.

"Thank you. It is nice to meet you too. And, please, call me Betty."

Will smiled and then an awkward silence followed until Will spoke up again.

"I'm starving."

"Your dad said we are letting you pick the place, what are you hungry for ?"

Will looked at his dad briefly and Henry nodded.

"Pizza ?"

"We can do that."

She looked at Henry.

"Remember the place around the corner that had that really good calzone ? It's still there. Is that okay ?"

He smiled.

"Perfect. Let's go."

They got to the restaurant and sat down. It was decorated for Christmas with a tree in one corner and tinsel garland and lights draped everywhere. Henry and Betty both ordered the calzone and Will ordered two slices of pizza. They ordered a pitcher of soda and then Will's questions began. He wanted to know from Betty all about his father back then. She had enjoyed his interest and had answered all of his questions.

Henry sat back and enjoyed watching their exchange. The more they talked the more animated Betty became and he smiled to himself at the level of comfort his son was achieving with her.

Their food came and they began to eat. Betty slowly shifted the conversation from Henry to Will and began asking him about the film camp, his new school and his life in Arizona.

He was more than willing to share it all. He also told her that he was excited about coming to the photo shoot on Saturday and asked if he could bring his own camera. She agreed. When lunch was done, they all stood up and went up to the cashier station while Henry paid the bill. Will walked ahead of them and when he got to the door, he paused just inside as Henry and Betty walked toward him.

"Thanks for lunch dad and thanks Betty for picking the place, it was really good."

She smiled at him.

"You're welcome, Will. I had a really nice time."

Just as he was about to push the door open, he looked up, having planned the timing perfectly.

"Hey, guys, look up."

Both Henry and Betty looked up to see a ball of mistletoe hanging over their heads. Betty turned ten shades of red and Henry looked down glaring at his son who was completely pleased with himself.

Betty looked at Will then Henry, who smiled innocently at her.

"I had nothing to do with this, I swear."

Both looked at Will.

"You might as well get it over with or I'm not opening this door."

Henry sighed. He turned facing Betty and adjusted his glasses.

"I'm sorry. What do you think ? We can do this, right ?"

She looked up at the mistletoe and then back to him, nodding, as her eyes drifted to his lips. He took all of this as his sign to go ahead.

Henry's fingers skated along her cheek, and without breaking eye contact, he set his fingertips drifting lightly over Betty's bottom lip. Then he leaned down and touched his lips to Betty's, just barely, waiting.

Seconds slipped by and Betty pushed forward, solidifying the connection, and released a soft sigh into the kiss. After a few more moments, Henry stilled, and the fingers that had been idly stroking Betty's cheek trailed down to rest just under her bottom lip, pushing down and parting her lips slightly in a silent request. Betty gave something almost like a nod, and her arm hooked around his waist, drawing him in. Careful not to take her by surprise, Henry eased at Betty's lips, just a tentative prod at first, before slipping his tongue into her mouth. A barely-audible moan from Betty reassured him, and he continued, cautiously, answering with a moan of his own when contact with Betty's tongue sent a shockwave through his body.

A cough from the doorway caused Henry to draw back quickly, clearing his throat and lowering his eyes to the level of Betty's mouth. A kiss that only lasted a second or two had now undone him for good.

Betty tried to still her heart and recover normal breathing. She looked up at him and smiled.

"I, uh, really need to get back to work."

"Right."

They both turned to look at Will who was grinning like a cheshire cat and he turned and opened the door with a flourish. Henry motioned for Betty to go out first and as he passed his son he gave him a look that promised a long conversation later. Will didn't care, it had been worth it.

They walked back to the Meade building and into the lobby. Henry turned to Will.

"Go grab us a cab."

"Yes, sir."

Will left them in the lobby and Henry turned to Betty.

"I am so sorry. I should have warned you in advance that Will might be interested in working on his match-making skills. I'll have a talk with him tonight."

Betty laughed.

"It's okay, really. He is a great kid and he obviously loves you very much."

"Well, that is no excuse……"

He stopped when Betty put her hand on his arm.

"Henry, it's okay…..it was…….unexpected but, nice."

He reached up and pushed a strand of hair from her face.

"It was."

They both just stood there for a minute and then Betty looked at her watch.

"I really do need to go, thank you for lunch. I'll see you two on Saturday, right ?"

Henry smiled.

"Yes, we'll be there."

"Good. Bye, Henry."

"Bye, Betty."

He watched her walk to the elevator and just before she got in, she turned and gave him that smile, that smile that he remembered had been reserved just for him. He smiled back.

Betty leaned against the wall of the elevator with a goofy grin plastered to her face. She had seen the mistletoe when they has walked into the restaurant and had recklessly tried to think of a way to get him under it before they left but his son had managed to beat her to it. She was scared to death, but she knew she had just started down a path that would be so worth it in the end.

Henry walked out to the cab Will had waiting for them. He climbed in after his son and gave the driver the address to the Meade apartment and the driver pulled out. He then turned to Will.

"What did I tell you about trying to match-make with Betty and I ?"

"Dad, it was fate, it's not like I knew the mistletoe would be there."

"Uh, huh…..well, from now on, you let me handle whatever is going on with Betty and I. Okay ?"

Will looked down at his hands and back up at his father.

"Okay. Sorry."

"It's okay."

There was a moment of silence and then Will spoke.

"It looked like a good kiss though."

Henry was looking out the window and smiled. Then turned serious as he turned to his son.

"Will."

"I'm just saying."

Henry looked back out the window smiling. It was a good kiss. Really good.

_**- - to be continued - -**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**Author's Note :**__ Ugh ! I am so slow writing this. I am so sorry. Okay, here is the next chapter and I am writing the next already. I really want to have this one done before the next new episode. Chug, chug, chug……._

_As usual, my thanks to everyone that has read and reviewed. Special thanks to the peeps at I-C, you guys nicely put just the right amount of pressure on me to keep me going. ::wink::_

**Chapter 6**

Again with the daydreaming. It was that damn kiss. Betty shook the memory from her head and looked back at her computer screen that had just beeped 'new mail' for the third time in what seemed like ten seconds. Maybe she should talk to Daniel about putting a moratorium on emails on Friday. Like that would happen.

She flipped over to her mail and checked her inbox. She had three messages all from Ruben. Ugh. She thought this accounting review stuff was over. She opened each one. One was a short message with the document he had prepared attached, she opened it and sent it to the printer. The next was one that said he had requested time on Henry's calendar and the third most recent one, was confirming a time on Henry's calendar. Wednesday, December 29th at three. She forwarded it to Ava to add to her calendar.

Wait. Confirming time. She looked at the one requesting time again, they were barely five minutes apart. Was Henry in his temporary office ? She hadn't seen him wandering around today. It was strange thinking that he might be so close by. She thought about getting up and meandering down that way on the off chance she might run into him and then Ava walked in to her office.

"Here is the report you just printed off from Ruben. And, your sister called while you were at lunch and wanted you to call her."

Betty took the report from her and smiled looking at her watch.

"Thank you. I'll give her a call real quick. If my three-thirty gets here, send them in even if I am on the phone."

"Alright. Do you need anything else ?"

"No, I'm good."

Ava turned to leave and Betty called her back.

"Oh, wait, there is something. Can you call Christina and remind her that I am bringing someone with me to the photo-shoot tomorrow. It's the son of a friend and I wanted to make sure it is okay with the photographer because I think my friend's son is going to bring a camera with him. And, have her make an extra shoot packet that I can give him too, if she has time."

Ava whipped a notepad out from somewhere and jotted down Betty's request, then looked up and smiled.

"No problem. Anything else ?"

"Actually, there is one more thing, have a seat."

Ava walked back over and sat down.

"Is everything okay ?"

"Oh, yes, of course. Listen, I just wanted to give you a heads up because I know that while you personally are not a gossip around here, you are bound to hear things and I would rather you heard this from me in case you have any questions."

Ava looked a little nervous.

"Um, the new CFO, Henry Grubstick. He was the MODE accountant when he was working here about thirteen years ago and I was Daniel's assistant. At the time, he was, well, he was my boyfriend. It was complicated and the bottom line is that he left to move to Arizona for personal reasons."

She looked at Ava to gauge a reaction but as usual Ava remained professionally poised so she continued.

"Anyway, he's back now, and he and I have seen each other at the ball and as you know we had lunch together earlier in the week. We're just friends now. He's here to work and you know I am here to work. So, in case you hear anything, I just wanted you to know. And, if you have any questions, or you feel there are rumors floating around that I need to address, I wanted you to know the facts from me. Okay ?"

Ava nodded and smiled.

"Okay. It's really none of my business anyway, but thank you for letting me know."

"Okay, thanks. And, Ava, I want you to be thinking about where you want to go next in the company. You've been working yourself ragged for me for two years and I think it is about time we get you moving in the direction you want for your career here at Meade. You think about it, and put some time on my calendar for you and I to talk sometime mid-January."

"I'll do that. Thank you."

Ava stood up, turned and left Betty's office. Betty was going to miss her. As soon as she left, Betty picked up her phone to call Hilda.

_"Beautilities, Hilda speaking."_

"Hilda, it's Betty, Ava said you called."

_"Oh, Betty, I'm soooo glad you called. Can you come over tonight ? The wedding is in two weeks and I have a million things to finalize, I could really use your help."_

"Sure, I can come over. I can't stay late though, I have a photo-shoot in the morning."

_"Great. I can use any time you have."_

"I'm trying to get out a little early today, and I'll take a car, so I should be there by six."

_"Perfect. I'll let Papi know you will be there for dinner."_

"See you then."

Betty hung up the phone just as her advertising rep came in the office.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Will climbed wearily into the back of the cab and slumped against the door. Henry followed and patted his son on the arm.

"Tired ?"

"I can't look at another house today, dad. Can't we just pick one and be done with it ?"

Henry laughed.

"How about we gather up all the paperwork and pictures we have on the ones we've seen this week and then go eat some pizza and pick our top three ?"

Will's ears perked up at the word pizza.

"That sounds great. I don't know why you don't get Betty to go look with you anyway. She would be a better person to help you decide."

Henry gave the driver the address of a pizza place near the apartment they were staying at and then looked over at his son.

"Why do you say that ?"

"Don't you want it to be her house too ?"

Henry thought for a minute. He hadn't really consciously thought about it but, yes, he had been thinking of her each time he looked at a new house this week.

"Well, I guess I hadn't thought about it, really. I mean, I plan to stay in New York, even after you finish school. And, yes, I want to see if there is a future for Betty and I but I really just thought of you helping me pick out the house, since you helped me pick out the other one in Arizona. It's kind of our thing."

Will smiled.

"And, Will, I know you have put a lot of thought into getting Betty and I back together but you will always be number one to me. You come first in everything I do. I don't want you to ever think otherwise."

Will looked at his dad, the best dad in the world, and nodded.

"I know, dad."

The car pulled up to the pizza place and Henry opened the door.

"Let's go stuff our faces with pizza."

Will laughed as they both climbed out of the cab.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Dad, Hilda, Julio………"

Betty called out to her family as she walked in the door and hung up her coat. Her father came out of the kitchen with an apron on, wiping his hands on a towel before slinging it over his shoulder. Betty grinned at him. He still looked good at seventy-one and was going strong. He came over and gave her a big hug.

"Betty, I'm so glad you came over, Hilda has been driving Julio and I crazy with these wedding plans."

Betty laughed.

"Well, I will do my best to help her calm down and get some stuff taken care of while I am here."

She took a deep breath.

"Enchiladas ?"

"Si. You're favorite."

She kissed his cheek.

"Hilda upstairs ?"

"Yeah, Julio is on duty, so it is just the three of us tonight."

"I'll go get her."

"Dinner will be ready in thirty minutes."

"Okay, we'll be down."

She would have asked him if he needed any help but she knew he would say no and she saw the table was already set. She headed upstairs and knocked on Hilda and Julio's door.

"Come in."

Betty opened the door and went in. She saw Hilda sitting on the bed and she looked like she had been crying. Betty walked quickly over and sat down draping her arm over her sister's shoulders.

"Hilda, are you okay ? What happened ?"

Hilda laughed quietly and wiped her eyes.

"I'm fine, everything is fine. I was just……you know, thinking about Santos."

Betty frowned, she hated seeing her sister unhappy.

"What brought this on ?"

Again, Hilda smiled.

"The most amazing guy in the world."

"What ?"

Hilda blew her nose and stood up walking over to the corner of the room where a box sat opened.

"I got out this wedding box that I had from when Santos and I were getting married because there was some information in it on a cake design I had liked. Julio was helping me look for it and when we found it, I closed the box up and he said – Hilda, we should light a candle for Santos at the wedding."

Hilda started to tear up again and Betty just smiled at her.

"He is a great guy."

"He is. Why did I make him wait so long to marry me. I spent all that time being afraid and for what ? I could have been happily married instead."

Betty smiled and pulled her sister into a hug.

"Well, you had him with you the entire time and he loves you, that is what matters."

She pulled back and brushed hair from Hilda's eyes and wiped the tears from under her eyes.

"So, let's go eat some enchiladas and let's plan a wedding."

Betty started to walk out of the room and Hilda took a hold of her arm to stop her.

"Betty, wait, sit down here for a minute."

Hilda sat on the bed and Betty sat next to her. Hilda took Betty's hands in hers and looked directly at her.

"I know you are freaked out by Henry being back in town."

Betty shook her head.

"Hilda….."

Hilda gripped her hands tighter.

"No, you listen to me. Don't be afraid. You love him, I know you still do. And, he loved you so much. Something happened and you couldn't be together and that sucked. But, now he is back and there is nothing……"

Betty started to speak again but Hilda stopped her.

"…..NOTHING, keeping you from being with him now. All those years ago, I told you that if I could have one more minute with Santos I would take it and you knew I was right then and you know……"

She let go of one of Betty's hands and put her hand over Betty's heart.

"…..your heart knows, I am right now. I know it is scary. I know you don't want to lose him again, but as much as both of your lives have changed, you belong together, you always did."

"But, I don't even know if that is what he wants…..and what do I do, we're different people."

"You are exactly the same people, just older and hopefully smarter. Don't be afraid of loving him. He's waited thirteen years for you, don't make him wait any longer like I did Julio."

Betty laughed.

"So, spend time with him when he asks you, be bold and why don't you start by inviting him to the wedding."

Betty leaned over and hugged her sister.

"When did you get so smart ?"

She leaned back.

"I promise, I'll think about what you said but thirteen years is a long time to be apart and just pick up where we left off. And, his son is here. He has a life."

"No one expects you to just pick up where you left off, and from what you've told me, it sounds like Will is on my side in this scenario."

Betty laughed nodding, it did seem Will was trying to push her and Henry together.

"Just give it a chance to happen again without putting up road blocks at every turn, okay ?"

Betty smiled.

"Okay. Let's go eat."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Betty stood on the edge of the photo shoot watching as everything was being set up. She heard someone running up behind her and turned to see Will come to an abrupt stop right in front of her, completely out of breath.

"Hi, Betty."

She smiled.

"Hi, Will."

She looked beyond him and saw Henry walking over to them at a normal pace grinning at her. She smiled back and then turned to Will.

"You want to meet my creative director and the photographer ?"

"Wow, yes, please."

By this time Henry had walked up behind his son and Will turned to him.

"Is it okay, dad ?"

Henry looked at Betty,

"This is Betty's photo-shoot, if she says it is okay, it is okay with me. Just do what she says and stay out of the way."

Will turned back excitedly to Betty. She looked at Henry.

"I'll be right back."

He nodded and watched his son and the woman he loved and could never forget, walk away. Betty approached Christina who was talking to the photographer. Once Christina acknowledged them, Betty spoke.

"Christina, this is Will. Will, this is my Creative Director, Christina."

"It's nice to meet you, Christina."

"It's very nice to meet you, Will."

Betty turned to the photographer.

"And Will, this is Sebastian, he works for us also and he does a lot of our big shoots for MODE."

Sebastian held out his hand and shook Will's hand.

"Welcome, Will, I understand you are interested in photography and are attending school here in New York next year. You are welcome to take pictures today, just let me know if you have any questions. This is a preliminary shoot so we are pretty laid-back today."

"Thank you. I can't believe I am here."

Sebastian smiled and looked up at Betty.

"Why don't you go grab a cup of coffee with your friend over there, I'll put Will to work and keep an eye on him."

Betty looked at Christina.

"Yes, we both will, I'll keep an eye on him."

Betty looked over at Henry and then back at Will who was nodding his head in agreement. Betty ruffled his hair and gave him a look.

"Okay, if you're sure."

All three of them replied in unison.

"We're sure."

Betty turned and walked back over to Henry who was still watching Will.

"Well, he looks like he is in Heaven."

"I think he is. We have been banished from the set to go have a cup of coffee."

Henry raised his eyebrow.

"Oh, yeah ?"

"Yes, it was unanimous."

Henry smiled and held out his gloved hand.

"Well, then let's go."

Take a chance, no road blocks. Betty put her hand in his and he gave it a little squeeze and they walked off. On the way to the coffee stand, Henry looked down at their joined hands.

"I remember the first time I held your hand like this."

Betty smiled and looked up at him.

"Wicked."

He smiled.

"Yes. That was a great night."

She remembered.

"It was."

They ordered coffee and walked back over to a bench near the photo-shoot and sat down. They both turned a little sideways so they could look at each other. Betty was the first to speak.

"I don't know what to feel when I am around you. I don't know how to act. You've only been here a week and sometimes I feel like you never left and sometimes I feel like you've been gone forever."

Henry looked at her and adjusted his glasses.

"I know what you mean. I hope this doesn't make you uncomfortable, but every time I see you, I want to kiss you or touch you. I just feel like I have missed so many days of doing that and yet it seems like the most natural thing to do. But, you're right, I've been gone a long time."

"I don't want to be afraid of what could happen."

Henry took her free hand in his.

"I don't want to lose you again. Betty, I am in New York for good. Once Will finishes school here, he'll go off to college and then his life begins. My life is here and I want you back in it."

Betty let Hilda's words remind her what she knew her heart wanted. She shifted her gaze from Henry's eyes to his lips and leaned into him slightly as he reached up and touched her cheek. He leaned down and captured her lips in a tender kiss that was a silent promise of more. She welcomed his kiss and let her free hand pull him closer with a tug at his coat front. The kiss remained tame even though they could both feel the heat behind it. After a minute or two, Betty pulled back smiling.

Betty turned around and Henry put his arm across her shoulders as she snuggled into him. They watched the photo-shoot commenting every now and then on Will and his enthusiasm. Sebastian was a great photographer and Betty saw him stop and give Will pointers every now and then. The models even had some fun with him whenever he went to take a picture of them. She heard Henry laugh several times as the shoot continued.

When it was over, Henry thanked Christina and Sebastian and everyone was on their way. Henry, Will and Betty had gone to lunch and then walked in the park. It had not been lost on Will, that his dad and Betty held hands most of the afternoon. At the end of the afternoon, they had stopped and picked up a Christmas tree. Henry and Will had lugged it up to the apartment and they had decorated it with lights, popcorn and other ornaments that they had bought earlier in the week.

After the decorating was done, Will and Henry had cooked her their world famous spaghetti dinner which seemed to be more on them than the plates. Betty loved the closeness between father and son and Will had not even complained when Henry made him do the dishes and clean-up. Of course, Betty figured that it just meant she and Henry would have time alone in the living room which seemed to be exactly what Will wanted.

They had settled comfortably on the couch and Henry had pulled her close, kissing the top of her head. He entwined one of his hands with hers. And, she had to admit this felt right.

Henry couldn't believe he was sitting on the couch with her pressed closely to him holding her hand. He had been ready to move forward the minute he heard her voice on the phone the week before but she had seemed hesitant.

"So, why this sudden change of heart ?"

"Hilda."

Henry laughed.

"Hilda, again. I seem to remember her being on my side last time, too. Remind me to get her a BIG wedding present."

Betty laughed and leaned up turning toward him.

"Speaking of that, do you want to be my date for the wedding ?"

He smiled.

"Absolutely. When is it ?"

"New Year's Eve."

"Perfect, I was planning to spend the evening with you anyway."

Betty smiled.

"Good."

She settled back into him and then Will came in from the kitchen. He saw his father and Betty sitting close on the couch and smiled.

"Can we watch a movie, dad ?"

Henry turned to his son and smiled.

"Sure."

"Cool. What do you want to watch, Betty ?"

Betty melted. He was so sweet, exactly like his father.

"You pick. I never have time to go to the movies anymore, so I'm sure whatever you pick, I haven't seen."

Will smiled.

"Dad ?"

"Whatever you want ?"

Will turned on the TV and skimmed through the pay-per-view until he settled on some action movie. He punched some buttons and soon the movie started. She and Henry watched from the couch while Will laid on the floor in front of the TV.

As Betty looked around the room and from father to son, she felt her heart swell. She had never been happier or more content in her life than she was at this moment. If someone had told her two weeks ago, she would be sitting here, next to Henry with her hand in his and a smile on her face, she would never have believed them.

Later when the movie was over, Henry insisted on calling a Meade car to come get her and take her home. Will had long since fallen asleep and Henry waited for the car with her in the lobby.

He pulled her close and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Well, this day turned out much better than I had hoped for, I must admit."

"I had a feeling it might. For once, since you've been back, I got to surprise you."

He leaned down and kissed her lightly and started to pull back, but she pulled him in closer when she moved her hand up into his hair and with her encouragement he deepened the kiss, letting his mouth open slightly when she trailed her tongue along his lower lip inviting herself in and he didn't hesitate to offer her an invitation. After a few minutes of loving exploration, they broke apart and Henry saw the car outside.

"The car's here."

She looked over and then back at him smiling.

"I guess I better go then. I'll talk to you later."

"You can count on it."

He gave her one last brief kiss and walked her to the car. He waved as she left and he went back inside. He rode the elevator upstairs and let himself in the apartment. Will had already moved to the bedroom and Henry turned out the lights and went to bed himself.

It had been a perfect day.

_**-- to be continued --**_


	7. Chapter 7

_**Author's Note :**__ Finally. If you have been anxious to read it, trust me when I say, I have been just as anxious to post it. This is just a little filler chapter to move things forward a bit and tie up some stuff, the next Chapter will be up quicker than this one._

_As usual, my thanks to everyone that has read and reviewed. Special thanks to my muses at Instant Connection who constantly inspire and amaze me with their overwhelming love for this couple._

**Chapter 7 **

"Dad, Hilda……anyone home ?"

Betty walked into the Suarez house on Sunday around four, much earlier than she normally came over but she had finished her errands early and wanted to check on the things Hilda was supposed to have accomplished regarding the wedding.

She walked into the kitchen. It was clean and quiet. She walked back to the living room and then yelled up the stairs.

"Dad, Hilda, Julio……."

Nothing.

Oh well, they may have all gone to the store to get stuff for dinner. She sat down on the couch and picked up the paper where her father had been working the crossword puzzle. She penciled in a few answers and then sat it back down. She got up and went to the kitchen for a glass of ice water and then back to the living room.

She laid down on the couch and covered up with a quilt she grabbed off of her father's chair, a lazy drowsiness washing over her.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Will came running into the apartment with Henry on his heels. Both were sweaty and out of breath. Will flung himself on the sofa and Henry followed suit breathing heavily.

"That was a great game of ball, Will. You were on fire. I wonder if your new school has a team. You should look into it."

Will laughed.

"Maybe I will. You've been practicing, I can tell. It took all I had to beat you today."

"Well, I guarantee you, that was all I had, I am exhausted."

Will looked over at his dad and smiled.

"Chinese ?"

Henry smiled.

"You got it, why don't you go jump in the shower, I'll order and then go take mine. I'll leave some money in the entry way if they come before I get out."

"Sounds good."

Will jumped up from the couch, with more energy than Henry was going to be able to muster until he had a good night's sleep, and headed to the shower. Henry leaned up just enough to pull his cell phone from the pocket of his sweats and then fell back on the couch.

He dialed.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Betty was deep in a very pleasant dream that featured Henry and a nice bottle of wine when the ring of her cell phone from the other room brought her back awake. It took her a minute to remember where she was and then she practically fell from the couch to retrieve her phone from her purse.

"Betty Suarez."

_"Hi."_

She smiled.

"Henry. I was just drea….thinking about you."

She heard him quietly laugh.

_"Oh yeah….something good, I hope."_

"Of course. What's up ?"

_"Nothing, I just wondered how your Sunday was going. Will and I just got in from playing a tiring game of basketball in which he kicked my butt and I was getting ready to order some Chinese and thought of you."_

"Awww. I am over at my dad's. We have family dinner every Sunday night. When is Will going back ? I should have you two come over one Sunday."

Henry smiled. He wondered what Mr. Suarez would think of that.

_"Well, unfortunately, Will is leaving next Sunday, the day after Christmas. I promised Charlie he would spend New Year's with them. But, he'll be back again before summer and we'll take you up on that."_

"Good."

There was an awkward silence and then Henry spoke again.

_"I guess this is the part we need to work on, having simple conversation after thirteen years."_

Betty laughed.

"I guess so. We just need new things to talk about."

_"I had a good time yesterday."_

"Me too."

Another awkward silence which thirteen years ago would have been filled with words of love and plans for the week.

_"Well, I need to order the Chinese, so I'll let you go. I'll stop by your office tomorrow while I am in and maybe we can find time on your calendar this week one day for lunch."_

"That sounds nice. I'll see you tomorrow then."

_"Okay, goodnight. Tell your family hi for me."_

"I will. Night."

They both hung up their phone smiling. There were still gaps to fill in before things got entirely back to normal but she really did feel like it was all going to work out. Just then she heard the front door open and the loudness of her family filled the room.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Later that night, Ignacio, Julio, Hilda and Betty sat around the dining room table eating dessert and having coffee.

Betty looked at Hilda.

"So, you got everything done that we talked about Friday night. Now what else do we have ?"

Hilda looked over her list. Julio was sitting close to her rubbing her back and looking at the list with her.

"I think that is it. One more dress fitting Thursday and I am ready. Well, and you said I should call everyone one more time next week just to confirm but other that that, I think we're good."

"Well, we don't want any last minute surprises."

Hilda nodded.

"How about your dress ?"

"Christina is done with it, I just need a last fitting too, which I will do next week probably. Oh, and I hope you don't mind, I invited Henry to escort me to the wedding."

Everyone looked up as Betty had expected but Hilda was the one that spoke first.

"Oh yeah, good for you."

Ignacio started to say something until Hilda gave him a stare.

"Papi, won't it be nice to see Henry again. I understand he is back in New York for good now. His son is starting high school here next year at that special film school they opened a few years ago. He got a full scholarship."

Ignacio knew he was beat. And. he could tell by his youngest daughter's eyes that in her mind Henry being back was a good thing. He just remembered those same eyes thirteen years ago and he never wanted to see that again.

"Yes, of course. Betty, why don't you invite Henry over for Christmas Eve dinner ?"

He could make up his own mind when he saw the man and make sure he knew Ignacio was keeping an eye on him.

"Well, I would dad, but his son is in town right now and they may already have plans."

"Invite him too."

Betty was a little shocked but agreed.

"Okay, I will ask them."

They finished eating their dessert and talked a little more about the wedding as well as Christmas plans and then Betty said her goodbyes. Hilda walked her out to the front to wait for her cab.

"So, how did it go yesterday with Henry, good I guess, since you invited him to the wedding."

"It was a great day. We had lunch and went to the park, got their Christmas tree and then he and Will cooked me dinner and we watched a movie."

"Sounds nice."

Betty looked off dreamily.

"It was. I mean, there is still an obvious gap with us. Sometimes, we are lost for words because all we have to talk about is stuff from thirteen years ago or stuff from the last week. But, it feels right."

Hilda hugged her sister and smiled.

"I'm glad. I just want you to be as happy as I am."

"Thanks."

The cab drove up and Betty left to go home.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

It was Tuesday afternoon before she saw Henry. She was in her office working on the words and slides to go with the report Ruben had compiled. She needed to have a full-blown presentation ready when they met with Henry the following week. Her intercom buzzed and then Ava's voice.

_"Ms. Suarez, there is a gentleman named Will here to see you."_

Betty looked up to see Will standing at Ava's desk smiling. He waved. She smiled.

"Send him in."

She saved her presentation on her computer and closed the lid to her laptop. Will walked in smiling.

"Sorry to bother you, Dad had to go down to his office real quick and told me to come see you. He'll be here in a minute."

He looked around.

"This is a really nice office. This place is really WHITE."

Betty laughed.

"Yes, this floor is very white and orange. I forgot, they were painting your dad's temporary office space this weekend. He probably wanted to check it out. It _was_ pink and black."

Will laughed and sat in a chair across from her desk.

"So, what have you two been up to today ?"

Will sighed.

"Looking at houses, looking at houses and looking at houses; all day yesterday and today. We've narrowed it down to three and dad wants me to decide but I can't."

Betty nodded.

"There are many times I have to make difficult decisions and choose between two or three things. I make a list. Let's try it. Here take this piece of paper and a pen."

Will scooted his chair closer and took the paper and pen from Betty. He looked up at her anxiously. Unbeknownst to both of them, Henry had slipped in the room and was watching the scene from the doorway.

"Okay, now what are the top five things you like about your house in Tucson ? Make a list on the paper down the left hand side."

She smiled as Will stuck his tongue slightly out of his mouth holding it between his teeth in concentration something she had seen his father do many times. After a few minutes he looked up at her satisfied.

"Okay."

"Now add one thing, you wish you could have, and be realistic."

He did.

"Now make three columns and call them one, two and three."

Will did as he was told and looked up.

"Now, each one of those columns is one of the houses you are considering. Read each thing you like about your house now and put an 'X' in the column if the new house has it. And put an X if the house has the one thing you wished you had."

Will nodded, he got it. She watched as he went down the list thinking very carefully and filled in his X's.

"Done."

"Okay, now it's easy. Which column has the most X's ?"

Will looked the list over and smiled.

"Number three."

Betty smiled back.

"That's the one."

"You're right, that is the one. It is really the one I was leaning toward and now I know why. Wow. Thank you, Betty. I can't wait to tell dad."

"Dad heard."

Will and Betty looked up to see Henry walking further into the office. Betty smiled.

"How long have you been here ?"

"Long enough to see that well thought out decision making process in action."

He smiled then looked at his son.

"Did you ask her ?"

"Oh, I forgot."

Will turned back to Betty.

"Dad and I figure you already have plans but we wanted to know if you wanted to spend Christmas Eve with us ?"

Betty smiled.

"Actually……..I had dinner at my dad's house last night and he wanted me to invite you two to our house. How about that ?"

Will looked at his father.

"Can we dad ?"

Henry looked at Betty.

"Your father invited me to his house for Christmas Eve. Are you sure it's safe ?"

Betty laughed.

"Of course it is safe. Henry….."

She paused and looked at Will and then Henry.

"It's okay, you can talk in front of Will. He basically knows the story."

"My dad was never mad at you, he just hated seeing me so heart-broken. We all knew how it was going to end. It was just hard on him, picking me back up again wasn't easy."

Henry grew serious and Will watched the exchange carefully.

"I know, I wasn't very easy to be around that first month either."

Henry saw the serious look on his son's face and reached over to ruffle his hair.

"But, then this one came along and made it all better. We'd love to join your family for Christmas Eve. What can we bring ?"

Will smiled as did Betty, understanding the need to soften the mood.

"Nothing. Dad has it all under control, he would be offended if anyone tried to help."

Henry smiled. Same Ignacio.

"Well, we don't want to do that. What time ?"

"I'm going to get out of here early, so anytime after six would be fine. You remember the address ?"

"Of course."

Betty's phone buzzed in and then Ava's voice.

_"Ms. Suarez, your three o'clock is here."_

"Send him in Ava."

Betty looked up at Henry with a frown.

"Sorry."

"It's okay, Will and I need to put an offer in on a house it seems. I don't think I'll be able to do lunch this week after all, but I'll call you and we'll see you Friday night."

Ruben wandered in as they were finishing their conversation.

"Okay."

Betty stood from behind her desk as Ruben approached.

"Ruben, come on in."

She turned and looked at Henry.

"Henry, this is Ruben, he is the MODE accountant. Ruben, this is the new CFO, Henry Grubstick and his son, Will."

Ruben had a moment of shock, then held out his hand to the new CFO.

"Mr. Grubstick, so nice to meet you."

"You too, Ruben. I've heard a lot about you from Betty and I am looking forward to our meeting next week."

Ruben also turned to Will with a hand outstretched.

"And, nice to meet you too, Will."

Will took his hand in a firm handshake and Betty smiled.

"Nice to meet you, Ruben."

Henry adjusted his glasses and looked at Betty.

"Well, we'll get out of your way. I'll speak to you later."

"Sounds good. Bye, Will."

"Bye Betty and thanks for the help with the house."

She smiled.

"You are very welcome. I can't wait to see it."

Betty watched as they left her office. She turned around and saw Ruben was sitting in front of her desk.

"Okay, so I was working on the presentation and had a few questions."

Ruben smiled as she opened her laptop and pulled a notepad toward her that had her notes on it and they started going through the presentation.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"So, you want to see my offices before we leave."

Will looked up at his dad.

"Sure."

They walked down the hall into a suite of offices. The first office was smaller and there was a door between it and a much bigger office behind it. The first smaller office was for Henry's assistant.

"So, this is Anne's office ?"

"Yes."

"She loves yellow, she will like it."

"I thought so."

Henry walked through the door into the other room. It was decorated in green and pale yellow accents. Will looked up at his father.

"I know, not quite as manly as I would have liked, but since this is the floor for the fashion magazine we had to go with something a little more trendy. I at least got to choose green and not that lime green color your sister likes."

Will's sister Cass had lime green everything.

"It's not too bad."

"Okay, well that's it. I'll be here until February and then when you come in March for spring break you can see my new offices on the Executive floor. This way when you talk to me on the phone you can picture where I am."

"Yep."

Henry looked around one last time and they headed out.

"Let's go get the house."

Will smiled.

"Okay."

Henry glanced around the office.

"You know what, can you go wait for me by the receptionist desk, I need to make a quick call."

"Sure."

Will left and Henry picked up his phone and dialed.

_"Betty Suarez's office."_

"Ava, it's Henry Grubstick, I know Betty is in a meeting with Accounting, can you interrupt her and let her know I need to speak to her for a minute ?"

_"Um, sure, hold on."_

Henry waited.

_"Henry ?"_

"Betty, I know you are busy with your meeting but can you come to my office for just a minute ?"

_"Um, sure."_

"Thanks."

Henry waiting a few minutes and then Betty came into his office looking around.

"Wow, this turned out nice."

She glanced behind her.

"And, I envy you, it is fully enclosed. When you shut this door no one can see in. I wish I had that kind of privacy."

"Well, when I move out and someone else moves in they will open up the wall between the office and the assistant's desk, I just need the privacy while I am here."

Betty nodded.

"Right, so what did you need ?"

He walked around her and closed the door then walked toward her. Suddenly she felt very alone with him.

"Henry ..."

"I've missed you."

"You just saw me ten minutes ago."

He smiled as he took her hands in his.

"No, I mean I've missed you every day for the last thirteen years. Every day I've wanted to hold your hands and touch you face..."

He lifted a hand to touch her face and she closed her eyes.

"I missed you too."

"I'm sorry we can't have lunch this week."

She opened her eyes and smiled.

"It's okay."

"You are so beautiful."

"Henry..."

He leaned down and lifted her chin to him.

"Can I kiss you ?"

She felt a blush creep up her neck.

"You don't have to ask permisssion."

He smiled and closed the gap between them touching his lips to hers in the gentlest of kisses. She reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in tighter deepening the kiss. He wrapped his arms around her waist. After a few minutes, Betty pulled back in a daze.

"Wow."

He smiled.

"I'm glad some things never change."

She looked at her watch.

"Ruben !"

"No, I'm Henry."

She swatted his arm.

"No, I left Ruben in my office, I've got to go. And, where's Will ?"

"Waiting for me at reception, I just wanted to see you alone before I left. Sorry."

She reached up and wiped her lip gloss from his lips.

"I'm not. Now, get going, and I'll see you Friday."

He leaned in to kiss her again and she scooted away.

"Bye."

"Okay, okay, bye."

Henry walked behind his desk and Betty opened the door and left. A few minutes later Henry left and met Will at the reception area.

"You ready ?"

Will smiled and they left..

_**-- to be continued --**_


	8. Chapter 8

_**Author's Note :**__ Another new chapter, yay !! This one has a little angst in it but nothing major and it is resolved almost as soon as it happens. My muse has come out of hiding and this story is pouring out now, so expect the chapters to keep on coming._

_Thanks as usual to my friends, confidants, muses and inspirations at Instant Connection, the most devoted Henry/Betty site on the internet._

**Chapter 8**

Betty walked into the Executive wing of Meade around noon on Thursday for a lunch meeting she was having with Daniel. Amanda greeted her and told her Daniel would be free in a minute. Betty sat down in the waiting area and flipped through the print out of the presentation she had done for her meeting with Henry the following week.

She looked up a few times when Amanda answered the phone. Amanda had finally matured into the person she was meant to be, Betty knew Daniel couldn't do without her anymore. Amanda had finally found out that her father had been some rock and roller from the days of Studio 54 but he had been a one-hit wonder and had ended up moving to suburbia and become a dentist. They had met and kept in touch but she had her life in New York and she loved it. She had married a chef about six years ago and he was in the process of opening his own restaurant. Neither one of them wanted kids and they stayed focused on the dream of the restaurant. Amanda had taken a business class here and there over the years so she could help out and all of that had really developed her into a happier an more fulfilled person.

"Betty."

She looked up at Daniel.

"Sorry, I'm running late."

She stood up and picked up her purse and her papers.

"No problem."

He looked back at Amanda.

"We'll be at Paesano's if anyone is looking for me. Do you want me to bring something back for you ?"

Amanda smiled.

"No thanks, Charles is going to bring me some new recipe he is working on."

"Sounds good, we'll be back in a bit."

Daniel turned to Betty and they left.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Will, you ready ?"

Henry yelled to his son from the living room.

"Almost."

Henry could tell his son was becoming a teenager before his eyes. It took him longer and longer to get ready any more. After a few more minutes, Will came out of his room.

"You need a haircut."

"No, I like it longer. It's in."

"Oh, it's in. Is it in to be hanging down in your eyes ?"

Henry laughed.

"As a matter of fact, yes. Not everyone wears their hair the same way they did when they were in high school you know."

Henry shook his head.

"We need to get down to the post office to get these packages mailed to Arizona so they are there when you get back for you to give your mom, Robert, Grandma, your brother and sister. Is this everything ?"

Will looked over at the presents under the tree.

"Yep."

Henry recognized Will's wrapping prowess on one.

"What about this one ?"

"That's for Betty, you can give it to her when I'm gone."

"You bought something for Betty ?"

Will looked worried.

"Is that bad ?"

"No, of course not, I am just surprised. You can take it to her tomorrow night if you want."

"Okay."

"Alright, let's go. I thought we could grab some lunch first."

"Sounds good."

As they were leaving the apartment, Henry's phone rang. He looked up at Will.

"Hold on, son, I need to get this."

Will shrugged and walked over, plopped down on the sofa and picked up his hand-held video game.

"Grubstick. Oh, Anne, hi. Really ? That's great. Yes, the offices are ready. Are you sure ? Um, tomorrow, around one. Sure. Okay. See you then."

Henry hung up his phone and Will looked up at him.

"Anne ?"

"Yeah, she's already here. Apparently, they sold the house quickly and have to be out by the end of the month so they flew out yesterday to find a temporary place to live. She wants to meet me at the office tomorrow to see the offices and get her keys and everything so she can get settled in. You know how she is. And then, Matt is going to go back mid-week and wait for the movers to get them loaded up."

"Cool. It will be nice to see her. We ready now, I'm starving."

"Yes, let's go."

They left the apartment and headed out.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"So, Betty, everything looks good and I understand from Henry that MODE is the first on his calendar for the review. Good job."

Betty smiled.

"Well, you know that is Ruben as much as it is me."

"In any case, it looks good."

"Thanks."

There is a pause as they both take bites of their lunch and then Daniel speaks.

"So, how are things going with you and Henry ?"

"I wondered how long until you asked."

She looked at her watch.

"Not bad."

He smiled.

"Well ?"

"Things are going…………good, I guess. Hilda convinced me not to be overly cautious and reminded me that what Henry and I had before was real. So, I am trying to be open and see what can happen. We've had some nice……moments."

"That's good."

"Yeah, it seems he is here in New York for good and he has made it pretty clear to me that he wants me back in his life. As usual, he is just looking for all the signs from me. I just told Ava the other day that we were just business associates and friends and already, I feel we are more. I may have to talk to her again."

Daniel laughed.

"Well, thirteen years is a long time."

"It is, but we are fundamentally the same people we were then. I mean there is an obvious gap in time that makes conversation awkward at times but overall we are doing okay I think."

Daniel watched as Betty's thoughts drifted off and she looked out the window.

"What is it ? You can tell me, you know."

Betty laughed.

"Yes, you of all people would probably understand this part of it. I, uh….I miss him."

She looked at him and Daniel raised his eyebrows questioningly.

"You know……miss him. I mean, when he was gone, I missed him but he was gone. Now, he's here, and when I see him, I want to……..you know……."

Daniel was having fun watching her try to explain even though he knew exactly what she was trying to say. He gave her a look like he didn't.

"You know, I want to touch him….kiss him…..and other things….because with him here, I remember, everything."

Daniel just looked at her.

"Daniel!"

He burst out laughing.

"I know what you mean, I am just messing with you. So, what is holding you back ?"

"Well, at the same time, I feel shy around him. I feel like we just started dating."

"It is kind of a unique situation. Well, his son has been here too, so that doesn't really allow for any alone time. I think you should just let it happen, I mean he has only been back for like, what, two weeks, and like you said he is here for good, no hurry. And, knowing Henry, he is not going to make any move himself unless he is absolutely sure you're ready for the next step."

Betty frowned.

"I know, sometimes, I don't like that about him."

Daniel laughed.

They finished their lunch and headed back to the office.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Betty had brought the book home that night to review and make notes. She liked to do a review at the midpoint to see where things needed some prodding and where they were ahead. When she finally looked up at the clock it was 10:30p. She was exhausted. She put the book down on the coffee table and headed for her bedroom.

She washed her face, brushed her teeth and changed into some navy silk pajamas and climbed into bed. She picked up the bedside phone and started to dial, then hung-up. She snuggled under the covers and turned out the bedside table lamp.

A few minutes ticked by and she sat up. She reached for the phone and dialed again.

He picked up on the third ring.

"_Grubstick."_

"Hi."

"_Hi, how was your day ?"_

"Exhausting and then I brought the book home for a midpoint review."

_"I guess that is another thing I am going to enjoy watching you do. Your reputation precedes you."_

She laughed. He loved that laugh.

"I will probably drive you nuts with my perfectionism when it comes to the magazine. It kind of became my new love when you left."

Henry used his best pouty voice.

_"I've been replaced."_

"It's a harsh reality I'm afraid. You'll have to work on changing that, I guess."

And I would like nothing more than to come over right now to do just that, he thought to himself.

_"Oh no, I know where my place is in your priority list."_

Betty decided to lie back down for the rest of their conversation and made some 'moving' noises as she settled in.

"_Where are you ?"_

Betty debated answering that question.

"I am in bed."

"_You're talking to me in bed ?"_

"Ummmm….yes, is there a problem with that ? I was tired but then decided I wanted to call."

_"What are you wearing…"_

"HENRY !"

_"I'm just kidding. It seemed like the appropriate question, considering."_

"I'm hanging up now."

_"B e t t y, don't go. I was just kidding."_

Betty laughed.

"I know, but I really am tired. So, goodnight."

_"Okay, goodnight and thank you for calling, we'll see you tomorrow night."_

"You're welcome. Sweet dreams."

_"Always."_

Betty heard Henry hang up and she returned her phone to the cradle. She curled up in bed and soon fell asleep.

Henry hung up the phone and sat thinking about their conversation for a few minutes. He looked back at the notes James had given him when he had been in the office the day before and then looked at his watch. 11:15p. He was tired too. He got up and wandered into the bedroom, stripped down to his boxers and put on his sleep pants. He climbed into bed and turned out the bedside light before mumbling to himself with a smile.

"Sweet dreams, indeed."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Betty walked the last of her morning appointments out of her office and asked Ava to come in for a quick chat. Ava sat down and Betty came around her desk and also sat.

"Ava, I know we spoke the other day about Henry, Mr. Grubstick, the new CFO and I wanted to give you an update. I told you a little bit about our past and that we were now friends. Well, we may be venturing into something a little more than that so I wanted you to know."

"He seems like a really nice guy. I'm happy for you. I haven't heard anything about you two around the office just FYI, but maybe I will once he is working here on a regular basis. But, my lips are sealed."

"Thank you, I know you are a complete professional. I just wanted you to know."

"Thank you for trusting me."

"Well, he may call me for lunch once he gets settled in and I want you to also know that it is okay to tell him I am booked. You don't have to make any special concessions for him. When it comes to work, he is no more important than Daniel, in fact, he is not as important as Daniel. If there is any question, let him know you will check with me and get back to him."

"Okay. Thanks."

"I'm going to go down to the cafeteria and grab something to eat. I'll be back in time for my two o'clock."

"Okay."

Ava got up and left Betty's office and Betty grabbed her purse and some mail she hadn't gone through yet and headed out.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

She stood in line buying a sandwich, some pasta salad, a soda and three cookies. The woman in front if her seemed to be having an issue with her bill.

"You're kidding me, twelve dollars for a cup of soup and a salad ? I've been away from New York for too long I guess. Hold on."

The woman fished around in her purse and Betty smiled. Betty took a few bills from her own wallet and looked at the frustrated cashier.

"I've got it. How much is she short ?"

The woman looked up startled.

"Oh, no, you don't have to do that."

"It's no problem, really."

The cashier took the extra money and finished the sale. The woman smiled at Betty.

"I just moved back to town and had forgotten how expensive things are here. I'll pay you back."

The cashier rang up Betty's food and she paid.

"Really, it's no problem. You can buy someone else's lunch some day and that can be your payback."

The woman nodded.

"Thank you, again."

She walked off and Betty went in search of an empty table. She chose one in the back. Even after Henry had left, she had always sat at a table in the back like they used to do. It was just routine. The cafeteria was crowded anyway and there weren't many options. She opened everything and was getting ready to eat when she saw that the woman from line was still looking for a place to sit. Betty waved her over.

"You can sit here if you like."

The woman glanced down at Betty's paperwork.

"Are you sure, you look like you are busy and need the space."

Betty smiled.

"Actually, I could use the excuse not to do work."

The woman laughed.

"Well, in that case, I will join you. My name is Anne, by the way. And you, you are Betty Suarez."

Betty looked surprised.

"How did you……"

At this moment, Anne was distracted by someone approaching the table and Betty looked up to see who had caught her gaze. It was Henry. Anne, jumped up from the table as he approached and he held out his arms which she quickly went into and hugged him. He hugged her back.

Betty thought she had just fallen into some time warp – not again, her mouth went dry and she thought she was going to faint as she watched the scene unfold before her eyes.

"Anne, I am so glad to see you."

Anne pulled back, smoothed her hands over his sweater and looked at him.

"You look as handsome as ever, New York agrees with you."

Henry laughed and grinned at her. Betty took a moment to regain her composure and stood up to leave. No way, was she doing this again. Henry saw her and knew exactly what was going through her mind, he couldn't believe this was how she was going to meet Anne.

"Betty."

As she picked up her papers and grabbed her still wrapped sandwich she looked up at him.

"Henry."

He saw she was about to bolt and motioned for Anne to step aside before walking over to Betty.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa…..stop, set everything down."

"No, really, it seems you and Anne have some catching up to do and I have work to do….."

Henry managed to stop her actions and took her hands in his.

"Betty, stop, I know what you are doing. Just stop. Look at me."

Betty took a deep breath and looked up at him. He smiled at her.

"Hi."

She looked panicked.

"I can't do this again."

Henry put his hands on her arms and turned her to face Anne. He pulled her back up against him and held her close with his hands still resting on her arms. Anne was smiling weakly at them both.

"Betty, this is Anne, my assistant. She called me last night because she and her **husband**, Matt, sold their house and were already here in town. She wanted to meet me here at the office to get the keys so she could get settled in and start helping me."

He felt Betty relax a little against him. Anne took this as a sign to also speak.

"Ms. Suarez, I am so sorry. I knew who you were from the picture Henry keeps on his desk of the two of you. I didn't have a chance to tell you who I was before Henry walked up. I am so sorry if I….."

Henry interrupted her.

"It's okay, Anne. Betty is just having a moment of déjà vu and she'll be fine in just a second."

He turned her around to face him. He pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and leaned down to whisper in her ear.

"It's just you and me, always."

He moved back and looked at her. She took a breath and smiled. It was okay, she was okay. And now, she was embarrassed. She looked past Henry to Anne and moved around him.

"Anne, it is so nice to meet you. I am so sorry….."

Anne interrupted her.

"No, it was me. I am sorry."

Henry looked at them both and breathed a sigh of relief.

"How about I get something to eat and we all sit down and enjoy some lunch together ?"

He reached down and squeezed Betty's hand and she looked up at him.

"That would be nice."

_**- - to be continued - -**_


	9. Chapter 9

_**Author's Note :**_ Okay, so first of all, for those of you that don't know it…..I am a big fluffy romantic and in almost every story I write there is at least one chapter that makes me cry when I write a piece of it. This chapter has it. So, we'll see if you find it and if it has the same effect on you.

This one is kind of short but enjoy !

**Chapter 9**

"What time are Henry and Will going to be here ?"

Betty turned from the sink to her father.

"I told them around six. So, I expect them any minute. You are okay with this right and you're not going to torture him or anything, are you ? He's going to be here with his son and I don't want you ….."

Ignacio came over and hugged his daughter from behind.

"Mi hija, please, no worries. I'm not going to embarrass Henry in front of his son, I promise."

She hugged his arms.

"Thank you."

She turned around and smiled at her dad.

"Dad, Henry is staying in New York for good. We've talked briefly and we're going to see if we can make things work. I hope you can be happy for me."

"Betty, as hard as it was to watch you suffer when Henry left, I know it wasn't one sided, I know how much you loved each other and wanted to be together. When I first found out he was coming back, I was skeptical. But, if you want a second chance at something that made you so happy, how can I be against that ? I want you to be happy."

"Thank you, dad."

"But, I will be watching him."

Betty smiled.

"I wouldn't expect anything less."

Ignacio smiled and then they heard a knock at the door. Justin called from the living room.

"They're here. I've got it."

Betty wiped her hands on the apron she was wearing and pulled it off, walking into the living room. Henry and Will were coming in the door. She saw that Will had a gift in his hands and Henry was carrying a bottle of wine.

Ignacio was the first to greet them after Justin.

"Henry, nice to see you again. And, this must be your son I have heard so much about."

"Mr. Suarez, it's nice to see you too. And, yes, this is my son, Will."

"Will, nice to meet you. And, Henry, I think we had made it to Ignacio before you left, hadn't we ?"

Henry smiled.

"Indeed, sir, we had. Thank you for reminding me."

Betty came forward and hugged Will and he handed her the gift he was holding. She looked at the card which said it was for her from him. She looked at Henry and then back at Will.

"From you ?"

"Yeah, I hope that is okay."

"Of course, I think I have something for you under the tree, too. We can open them later tonight."

Will smiled.

"Okay."

He looked up at his dad, who smiled back at him and tousled his hair. Before, Henry could say anything, Betty moved closer to him, took his hand and leaned up to give him a quick kiss on the cheek.

He felt the color rise on his neck and smiled down at her.

"Hi."

"Hi."

Ignacio cleared his throat.

"So, is everyone hungry ?"

Will was first to speak.

"I am."

Henry laughed.

"What's new ?"

Ignacio tousled Will's hair.

"Like father, like son. I remember your dad being able to do a lot of damage to a meal I put on the table when he used to eat here."

Will smiled up at him and Betty and Henry smiled at the interaction.

Everyone walked into the dining room. Hilda and Julio had come from upstairs and while Hilda said her hellos and introduced Julio to Will and Henry, Justin made sure everyone got what he or she wanted to drink as they all sat around the table and Ignacio started serving dinner.

The talk around the table was lively and fun. Will got to talk about his new school and living in Arizona. Henry talked about getting back to New York and how happy he was with his new opportunity at Meade. Justin talked to Betty about the next issue of MODE and some new designer he had met at a party in Paris the week before that he seemed to be a little smitten over. And, everyone talked about the upcoming wedding of Julio and Hilda. It was a great meal and great conversation.

Afterwards, Hilda, Betty and Justin did the dishes after Will cleared the table. Julio, Ignacio and Henry went into the living room. Henry liked Julio, he seemed to be the perfect fit for Hilda from what he could tell.

"So, Julio, are you nervous about the wedding ?"

Julio smiled.

"No way, I have been trying to get her to marry me for years. I am relieved."

Henry laughed.

"Well, congratulations."

"Thank you. I'm glad to hear you are coming."

"I wouldn't miss it."

Ignacio had been watching the exchange and turned to Henry.

"So, Henry, Betty tells me you are in New York for good."

Henry had been expecting somewhat of an interrogation from Ignacio and here it was.

"Yes, sir. Will is going to high school here and then he is off to college. I won't be following him when he goes to college. In fact, I didn't intend to follow him here, the job at Meade just came up."

"So, if Will had not been coming here, neither would you ?"

Henry knew this was where he had been going.

"Well, probably not right now, but I would have come back. I always planned to return to New York at some point."

Henry looked back toward the kitchen and then back at Ignacio.

"Mr. Suarez, I never stopped loving her. I let her go so she could live her life but I always hoped that when I could come back, we would have a second chance to be together. I think we have that chance now and I hope you will support us in that."

Ignacio could think of a million more things to ask him but Henry seemed so sure and determined that he let it go.

"Whatever Betty wants, I support."

Henry smiled.

"Thank you."

Will and Justin came into living room. Justin could tell whatever they had been talking about had been somewhat serious.

"So, Aunt Betty wants to know who wants coffee."

Everyone did, so he and Will went back to the kitchen to get it. The rest of the night went well, Betty sat next to Henry on the couch and everyone just chatted about the holidays and the wedding. Henry rolled his eyes as Will rattled off his list of gifts he was hoping to get the next morning. Everyone else laughed.

After about an hour of visiting, everyone started getting up and mulling around. Henry took coffee mugs to the kitchen as people were finishing and he and Will told everyone they needed to leave shortly to get home so Will could get to bed.

Justin was the first to leave. He was going home to his apartment and would be back the next morning for presents. Julio, Hilda and Ignacio said their goodnights also and went upstairs so Betty could have some time with Will and Henry.

After the rest of the living room was cleaned up, Betty went digging under the tree for presents. She pulled one out and sat down on the floor in front of the tree. Will got his present from the table next to the tree and sat down with her. Henry sat in Ignacio's chair next to them.

"Okay, so, Will, I haven't known you very long, so this may not be the best present, but next year, I promise to do better."

Henry smiled as Betty handed Will the present. He looked at his dad who smiled and nodded at him.

Will ripped into the box and opened it. Inside was a gift card to a photography supply company that Will knew well. It was one of the best if not the best.

"I didn't know what to get you for your photography stuff but I asked Sebastian, you know the photographer from the other day, and he said this was a good place, so you can get what you want, it's for a two hundred dollars."

Will's eyes grew wide.

"Wow ! Betty, this is awesome, thank you so much."

Before she knew it he leaned forward and hugged her. She happily hugged him back while Henry watched them both. Will pulled back and handed the card to his dad.

"Very nice."

Will sat up and handed her his gift. She looked at Henry and smiled. He gave her a look that told her he had no idea.

She looked back to Will who was anxiously awaiting her opening it. She ripped into the paper where there was a square white box. It looked nice. She slowly opened the lid as Will peered anxiously inside as if he himself didn't know what was in there.

She pulled back the tissue and gasped looking up at Will.

"Will….."

She reached in and lifted a perfect glass slipper from the box. It was about four inches long and about three inches tall and quite heavy. Betty felt silly when she felt tears form in her eyes.

"My dad told me you liked Cinderella and I saw it when we were out shopping the other day and thought it was something you could put on your desk."

Henry could tell she was using everything she had to keep her emotions in check.

"Will, it is the most beautiful and special thing you could ever have thought to give me, I love it. I will definitely set it on my desk where I can see it every day."

She leaned forward and hugged him tightly. When she pulled back, she brushed the hair from his eyes and smiled.

"Thank you. I am going to miss you when you leave Sunday."

Betty just stared at the gift and was still overwhelmed at how thoughtful it was wondering if Will knew the full significance as far as her mother reading her the story when she was little, and somehow she thought he did. After a minute, Henry broke the silence.

"Well, son, we need to get going. We have our last day tomorrow and we both could use some sleep."

Will got up off the floor and helped Betty up before Henry had a chance too.

"Will, the car is outside waiting for us, why don't you go on out and I will be right out."

Will smiled.

"Okay, dad."

Then he turned to Betty.

"Will I see you again before I leave ?"

She looked at Henry.

"Um, when is your flight, Sunday ?"

Henry answered.

"Ten in the morning."

She looked back at Will.

"I don't think so. I will be here tonight and all day tomorrow and I don't think I'll see you Sunday morning. So……I guess this is goodbye for now. But, I'll see you in March when you come for Spring Break, if not sooner."

Will looked sad but smiled.

"Okay, well take good care of this old guy…."

He poked his dad in the side.

"Oowwww."

Betty laughed.

"I'll do my best."

Will walked back to her and hugged her again, she kissed the top of his head, which she doubted she would be able to do the next time she saw him.

"Bye, Betty."

"Bye, Will."

He turned and walked out of the house and Henry watched as he got in the car and then he came back inside.

"I have a present for you too, but I thought maybe we could exchange gifts Sunday night if you were free."

Betty walked toward him as she spoke.

"Well, actually, I was going to call this really handsome accountant I know and invite him to dinner Sunday night. We've had a couple of dates, and I think maybe it's my turn to make a move."

Henry pulled her in close.

"Really ? Well, he's a lucky man if you are making the moves on him."

She stood on tiptoe so her mouth was inches from his.

"Wanna see just how lucky he is ?"

Before he could reply, she leaned in for a kiss. Apparently, she was not in the mood for playfulness, as she quickly demanded entrance to his mouth in order to deepen their kiss. He gladly obliged her, leaned down and wrapped his arms around her. She ran her fingers through his hair and played with the ends at his neck. He pressed a hand into her lower back to tighten their connection and slowly came up for a moment of air before looking deeply into her smoldering eyes and then descended back to her mouth. It became difficult to tell where he stopped and she started as they continued to kiss.

After several moments passed, they reluctantly broke apart, both breathless. Henry was the first to speak.

"Yep, he's lucky man."

He smiled and then pulled her into a tight hug and talked into her hair.

"You know, I had no idea what his gift was, I didn't even know he bought you anything until we came over here. Are you okay ?"

Betty let the tears well up again as she pulled back.

"Yeah, it was just so thoughtful. I almost lost it, but I thought it would freak him out."

"I could tell it really effected you."

"He is an amazing kid, Henry."

Henry agreed, he felt so proud and lucky every day.

"I know, sometimes he amazes even me. I guess I need to go, since he is waiting. We'll call you tomorrow to wish you Merry Christmas."

"That would be nice."

Betty smiled, lifted his hand to her mouth and planted a soft kiss on his palm. He took her hand in his and they walked to the door. He turned and gave her one more quick kiss before he left. She watched him get in the car and the car drive off.

She picked up her gift from Will and hugged it to her and then walked around the house, turning off lights. When everything was closed up tight she headed upstairs to her old room to sleep. She was definitely going to have sweet dreams tonight.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Christmas day was busy at the Suarez house. Everyone was up early and Justin was there by eight. He looked tired but was just as excited as everyone else for Christmas morning traditions.

They sat around and opened presents, laughed and had eggnog and cinnamon rolls. Julio and Hilda left around ten-thirty to go to Julio's family gathering with a promise to be back for the afternoon meal at three. Ignacio, Justin and Betty took up their traditional spots in the living room and laughed and talked until they each drifted in and out naps.

Henry and Will had called around noon and Betty had talked to them for about thirty minutes so Will could tell her everything he got. She thanked him again for his gift and told him she had slept with it on the nightstand next to her bed.

As soon as they had hung up, she dialed Henry's cell number. He looked at it and smiled.

"Grubstick."

"Hi."

"Hi."

"Ummmm, I was wondering what you were doing tomorrow night ? I thought maybe we could have dinner. You know, like a date, just the two of us."

Betty bit her lower lip with a grin as she waited for his reply.

"I'd love to have dinner with you, Betty. Should I pick you up ?"

"No, why don't you meet me at Bellini's for Italian, say 7:00p ?"

"Sounds delicious."

"Okay, I'll see you then."

"Okay."

"Bye."

"Bye."

Betty and Henry both hung up their phones smiling.

_**- - to be continued - -**_


	10. Chapter 10

_**Author's Note :**__ Hello to all of my patient readers…I don't know how so much time has gone between chapters but it has. PLEASE accept my apologies…..as usual, I am anxious for you to enjoy and let me know what you think about this newest chapter. Since it has been awhile, I will remind you where we left off. And, to all my I-C friends, I got your care package RIGHT HERE !!!_

**Previously…….**

_As soon as they had hung up, she dialed Henry's cell number. He looked at it and smiled._

"_Grubstick."_

"_Hi."_

"_Hi."_

"_Ummmm, I was wondering what you were doing tomorrow night ? I thought maybe we could have dinner. You know, like a date, just the two of us."_

_Betty bit her lower lip with a grin as she waited for his reply._

"_I'd love to have dinner with you, Betty. Should I pick you up ?"_

"_No, why don't you meet me at Bellini's for Italian, say 7:00p ?"_

"_Sounds delicious."_

"_Okay, I'll see you then."_

"_Okay."_

"_Bye."_

"_Bye."_

_Betty and Henry both hung up their phones smiling._

**Chapter 10**

It was especially cold when Betty exited the cab in front of Bellini's and as soon as the swoosh of air hit her, she took in a deep breath. A gloved hand reached out to take hers and she looked up and smiled when she saw it was Henry. She was bundled up in her warmest coat with her gloves on as well. When she stepped up from the cab he immediately wrapped his arm around her and lead her to the restaurant entrance.

"I'll take care of the cab. They have my name and a table ready, I'll be right in."

Before she had time to respond he turned back outside to the cab. She walked to the hostess station and gave them Henry's name. She was ushered to a table near the back. The hostess took her coat, scarf and gloves and handed her a ticket for the coat check, Betty thanked her. As she started to sit down she once again, felt Henry's presence, he pulled her chair out just as she was about to and she sat down.

"My goodness, you are attentive tonight."

He took his coat off and also handed it to the hostess who was back hovering over their table. He thanked her and sat down himself looking across the table at her smiling.

"Hi.

"Hi. Thank you for getting the cab. It is freezing out tonight."

"No problem. Yes, it is, I forgot how cold New York can get. I've actually missed it."

Betty was surprised.

"Really ?"

"Well, cold weather does have its benefits."

"Like what ?"

He grinned just as the waiter approached the table, and spoke quickly.

"I'll show you later."

Betty blushed.

They both ordered water and Henry ordered them a warm appetizer and the waiter left. Neither picked up the conversation that was going on before the waiter had come by although neither had forgotten it either. Betty was the first to speak.

"So, Will made it home safe and sound, I assume ?"

"Yes, his flight was on-time and Charlie called to let me know he had made it."

"Good. He is really an amazing kid, not that I expected any less. He seems so much like you."

Henry gave her a skeptical grin.

"Well, he has his mother's adventurous and sometimes questionable mischievousness, but yes, he is overall a very good kid. He is really smart, I read to him a lot when he was little. You know, being a dad was new to me and I wasn't sure what to do all the time, so I just shared the things I loved with him."

Betty smiled.

"And, he with you apparently."

"What do you mean ?"

"Basketball."

Henry laughed.

"Yeah, that certainly was a new one for me. I was never athletic growing up. But, I have learned. And, now I can hold my own. But, he is getting taller so I am starting to really have to work for it every time we play. I'm not getting any younger."

Betty laughed and reached across the table and took his hand in hers.

"But, you are still just as handsome as I always remember."

"And, you are just as beautiful."

They both smiled at each other and only released hands when the waiter brought their water and appetizer. He asked for their order and Henry looked at Betty.

"May I ?"

She nodded.

"Certainly."

Henry ordered for them both and Betty was not surprised that he picked her favorites and even remembered a couple of details on her preferences. She remembered his as well.

The waiter left and she looked at him, shaking her head.

"What ?"

"Shouldn't this be harder ?"

He furrowed his eyebrows.

"What do you mean ?"

"This, us being out to dinner, out on a date. It's been thirteen years since we sat across from each other alone having dinner and yet I feel like it was a week ago or last night. So many things in our lives have changed, and yet here we are as if no time at all has passed. Neither of us put our lives on hold."

He reached over and took her hands.

"We're the same people. We're older and maybe wiser in some ways. You're right, our lives went on and things changed. But, you and I, Betty, we're the real thing, the genuine article and no matter what, you can't change that. It's what made us so perfect before and it is what makes us so uncomplicatedly perfect now."

She smiled.

"It's what makes us so lucky."

He nodded.

Their food arrived and they ate, talking more about Will and work. Everything was easy and enjoyable. When the table had been cleared and coffee brought out they were both content and happy.

"So, what happened with the house, I never heard."

"Oh, right. We made an offer on the one Will picked and we got it."

He smiled.

"Henry, that's great. What next ?"

"Well, my mom is going to stay in the house in Tucson, she was living with me anyway. It's too big for her alone, but Will can visit her there and then at some point, she might move here although she may stay there because she is not too fond of the cold. Maybe she'll split her time between here and there, it is up to her. So, I have to go shopping for furniture and I can move in around the middle of January."

"That's great. Where is it ?"

"It's in the same general area where Daniel and Lindsay have their house. A few streets over."

"That is a great neighborhood."

"It is. I can't wait for you to see it. I hope you'll help me with the decorating if it isn't asking too much."

She smiled.

"I'd love to."

He was glad since he hoped it would be her house too, soon.

"Good."

The waiter came over with the check and Betty snatched it up before Henry could. He frowned at her.

"I asked you out."

He laughed.

"Okay, me next time. I'm going to call a Meade car to come get us, I'll drop you home."

She smiled. She had hoped he might.

"Okay."

She paid the check while Henry was on the phone.

"They'll be here in ten minutes, let's go get coats."

They wandered to the front and got their coats, Henry helped her get bundled up and once her gloves and scarf were securely in place he pulled her forward by her scarf, leaned down and planted a light kiss on her lips. She smiled up at him.

He got his coat, scarf and gloves on and told her to wait while he checked for the car. A few minutes later, he came back and led her outside. The car was warm and welcoming and after they were both in and Betty had given the driver her address, Henry wrapped his arms around her and they snuggled close for the drive to her apartment.

When the driver pulled up they both stepped from the car and Henry told the driver to wait for him. The doorman opened the door from them as they rushed into the lobby to escape the cold. Betty shivered.

"Brrrr….."

Henry smiled.

"Thanks for dinner."

"Why don't you come up for a bit, you haven't seen my place."

"You sure ?"

"Yeah. Um, it's still early. I can make us some coffee and we can talk some more. If that's okay with you."

Henry knew that as much as he wanted her, she was still wary of her own feelings in that regard and he didn't want to push her. He was perfectly content with any time he could spend with her to put those worries to ease.

He leaned down and kissed her nose.

"Okay, let me let the driver know."

He turned and walked outside. A few minutes later he was back and they headed upstairs. After hanging up coats, she gave him the two-minute tour of her place and he was impressed.

"I see you are on the fifth floor….."

She smiled.

"The highest that the ladder trucks can reach."

"You remembered that ?"

She smiled.

"Of course, I remember everything you tell me."

"Everything ?"

She looked at him seriously.

"Yes, everything."

He would leave that for now. They headed back to the living room and she watched as he lit a fire in the fireplace and then motioned for her to join him on the couch. They sat wrapped in each others arms and talked more about the house and Will and the past thirteen years.

"Well, I guess I need to get going. I have to meet with Anne in the morning to go over the schedule for this week. Now that she is here, we need to get our routine in place. I have a lot of work to do."

They got up off the couch and walked toward the door. Henry pulled his coat, gloves and scarf on and pulled her in for a hug and a kiss. It was meant to be a quick goodbye kiss but this one lasted longer than intended. As their kiss deepened, both moaned in response and wrapped their arms more securely around each other. Henry pulled away first, clearly trying to remember to let her lead their pace and maintain their current level of intimacy. He stepped back with a frown.

"What's wrong ?"

"Betty, I know we have only been back in each others lives for a month but with Will gone, it is going to get harder and harder to keep my feelings for you in check. Maybe we need to get some space from each other for a few days while I get settled in at the office."

Betty felt like someone had just jabbed a knife in her heart as she backed away from him, clearly hurt.

"What ?"

Henry moved forward and pulled her nearer to him. She resisted at first then saw something in his eyes as he tried to gain her attention.

"Betty, don't take this the wrong way. I love spending time with you and I want nothing more than to continue down the path that I know we are headed. But, I am only human and I know you have things to reconcile about all of this before you're going to allow yourself to be that close to me again. It is getting harder for me to walk away from you at moments like this."

"Moments like what ?"

"Like this…."

He cupped her face with his hands and kissed her more passionately than maybe he ever had with more emotion, feeling and intention than she had experienced, maybe ever. When he drew away from that kiss, she knew just what kind of moment he was talking about.

"I understand."

"No, I don't think you do. I think you think this is easy for me, to walk out that door right now. But, it isn't Betty. I want nothing more than to stay here and be with you ….."

He paused and looked directly at her, lifting her chin.

"….to spend the night here with you."

He heard her sharp intake of breath at his admission.

"But, more than that, I want to take things slowly and be patient with you because this is it for me. I just need you to know, that when I back away, it isn't because I want to, it's because I know you need me to. Now, do you understand ?"

"Yes, I do. Thank you Henry for understanding and for being honest with me…."

She paused as if to say more. He looked at her and she looked conflicted, like she wanted to say something else but didn't have the words.

"What is it Betty ?"

She ran her down his face and he closed his eyes at her touch.

"I owe you the same honesty. The truth is, I want to be with you too, I really do. This was our first night, really alone and it was wonderful and I want you to know that this has always been it for me, too. But, I do appreciate your patience."

She adjusted his scarf around his neck and smiled up at him.

"You do what you need to at work this week and then we have Hilda's wedding Friday. Okay ?"

"Okay."

Betty looked up at him for a kiss and was properly rewarded. They drew apart a moment later and said their goodbyes.

Once Henry was gone, Betty changed into her PJs and called Hilda.

_"What's up, Betty ?"_

"I need another one of your talks."

_"Henry ?"_

"Yeah."

_"What now ?"_

"We had dinner tonight, alone. It was great, just like always. This is the first time we've spent alone since, well, since he's been back. And…"

_"And….."_

"…he just left."

_"You haven't ……"_

"No, we didn't. But, I know he wanted to and I ….."

_"What ?"_

Betty stood up and started pacing.

"I don't know Hilda, it's been thirteen years."

_"Didn't we already get past this time thing with you two ?"_

"No, I mean …. it's been thirteen years….you know……"

_"It's been thirteen years since you've been with anyone ? Oh my God, really ?"_

"Well, I've had dates and even people that I have seen for a few months, but yeah, as far as you know, sex, it has been thirteen years. The night before he left."

_"Wow. Not even Gio ?"_

"Ewww, God no. Gio thought he had a crush on me but he didn't. I went out with him until he figured it out. No, I never even kissed Gio."

_"Okay, so back to the present. You haven't been with anyone for thirteen years and the one person you love more than any other person in the world is back in your life. And you need my advice on what to do ?"_

Betty smiled. Hilda always put things into perspective.

"No, you're right. I know exactly what I need to do."

On the other end of the line, Hilda smiled.

_"I sense a seduction in the works."_

"Hilda !"

_"Well……"_

Betty laughed.

"Okay, thanks. I love you, Hilda."

_"I love you, too. Lunch Wednesday ?"_

"Yes, absolutely. And, thanks again."

_"No problem."_

Betty hung up the phone and stood from the edge of her bed and walked toward her dresser and mirror. She smoothed her hair from her face and touched her lips where Henry had kissed her so thoroughly earlier.

She picked up her phone again and dialed.

"Christina, I am sorry to call so late. Listen, can I see you early tomorrow, I need your help with a little project this week."

_"Of course, what kind of project, by the tone in your voice it sounds like it might be a little dodgy."_

"Trust me, you'll love it, it has all of your favorite elements; sex, mystery and seduction."

_"Oh, it sounds hawt. I'm in."_

Betty laughed.

"Seven ?"

_"I'll be there and I'll bring the coffee and donuts."_

"Perfect, see you then."

Betty closed the home and headed to bed, still planning her week in her mind.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The next morning Betty arrived at the closet bright and early. Christina greeted her with a steaming cup of coffee, a smile and a question.

"So, what is this all about ?"

"I want you to dress me this week ?"

Christina fell into a chair as if she would faint.

"My dream come true, are you playing with me ? Where is the real Betty Suarez ?"

"She's right here and she wants to put a subtle seduction in motion this week. Look, I don't want you to make me another person, I still want to be me, I just want some subtle changes every day."

"Let me guess, our new CFO ?"

"I'm holding back and he knows it, so he keeps backing off too. I want to move forward and I want the confidence to do it. We're taking a break this week while he settles into the office but we're going to Hilda's wedding Friday night. I thought maybe I'd spend the week building my confidence with a little subtle seduction and at the time let him know that I am ready, because I am."

Christina smiled.

"I know you are, Betty."

"I never stopped loving him. I have a second chance, I want it."

"Then, let's find you something subtly seductive for today."

Betty smiled.

"Thank you."

_**- - to be continued - - **_


	11. Chapter 11

_**Author's Notes :** I don't know why I am so slow updating this - I love this story. Oh well, at any rate, this is the next chapter and there will probably be 4 more until the end. I hope you enjoy this Chapter...please review and let me know if you are still reading or if you have given up on me...hopefully, you are still reading._

_To my peeps at I-C - you guys ROCK !!_

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

**Chapter 11**

Betty arrived up at her office just before nine. Ava, of course, was already at her desk working. She glanced up at Betty as she walked by and then did a double-take. As soon as Betty had put away her purse, she buzzed Ava's phone.

"Ava, can you come in ?"

_"Sure, I'll be right there."_

Ava scurried from her desk with her notepad into Betty's office. She had to find out what this was all about. She was not a gossip and had no plans to act like one now but she had to admit, these last few weeks since the new CFO had arrived had been the most fun since she had been there.

As she entered Betty's office she was again taken aback.

"Wow ! You look, I don't know, different, beautiful, something…."

Betty blushed.

"Thank you. I am letting Christina dress me this week. I'm not sure what I have gotten myself into. You think this looks okay ? I feel, I don't know, naked."

Ava looked at her. She was wearing a simple chocolate brown suit but there was a slight ruffle along the bottom hem of the skirt, the hem of the jacket and at the sleeves. The whole outfit was very fitted and the jacket cut low. She was wearing nude hose, something she never did, and some simple brown pumps with a tiny leather bow across the front strap. It was all just very feminine and brought out the brown in her hair and eyes. She also had a really pretty necklace that dropped into the open vee of the suit jacket; her trademark 'B' necklace was missing. Matching drop earrings were in her ears and wisps of her hair had been pinned up to the top of her head letting waves of hair cascade down the sides and revealing more of her face than usual. It also looked like a just a touch more make-up covered her face with just a hint of a smoky brown on her eyelids.

"I think you look really pretty. I mean, you still look like you, just different, in a good way."

Betty smiled, running her hand over the necklace clearly still somewhat uncomfortable at the exposed skin at her neck.

"Thanks. So, what is on the agenda today ?"

Ava went over her calendar. It was fairly full but she had some free time.

"Okay, listen, I need you to do me a favor. You can access the executive calendars, right ?"

Ava smiled curiously.

"Yes, all of the executive secretaries can access the various calendars in order to keep everyone covered."

Betty sat down behind her desk.

"Okay, I know this is going to sound silly and childish and if you don't want to help me, I totally understand but I need to see……"

Betty reached in her drawer and fumbled in her purse, bringing out a small box. She opened it and took out the exquisite glass slipper Will had given her for Christmas, smiled and set it on her desk. She looked back up at Ava.

"I need to run into Henry…..Mr. Grubstick…..today, if possible, maybe on the way to a meeting or something. Or I need to know when he has free time so I can accidentally see him……God, this sounds, silly. Look Ava……"

Ava shook her head, smiling. She liked this new side of her boss.

"You don't have to explain…..I'll see what I can do. I'm in."

Betty laughed.

"You're in ?"

"Sure, I know what's going on. And, as we discussed, it is your private business, but I must admit this last couple of weeks has been fun. I have always admired your work ethic and your talent, but now I see this other side and so far you are balancing it all perfectly. It makes me realize that you can have it all. I want to help you."

Betty smiled, she kind of wanted to argue with her because to be honest she wasn't sure she could manage it all, but why burst Ava's bubble and she really did need her help this week.

"Thank you, Ava. And, I'm quite certain I won't be able to balance it all without you so I am counting on you to tell me if I get off balance anywhere. Deal ?"

"Deal ? Anything else ?"

Betty hated asking but she had arrived so early.

"Coffee ?"

"You got it."

Ava scurried out of the office and back to her desk. She was on the phone briefly before heading to get Betty coffee. Betty tugged on the jacket and skirt of her outfit and then mumbled to herself as she booted her computer up.

"Ugh. I might as well just deal with it."

She hadn't heard anyone come into her office.

"Deal with what ?"

She jumped and stood from her desk. As she looked at Daniel, she came around the side of her desk and motioned to her outfit.

"This."

Daniel looked her over and did his best wolf whistle. She cringed and rolled her eyes.

"Spare me."

He laughed.

"Well, you look, wow…."

"Okay, okay, you've had your fun. Do we have a meeting ?"

"No, I just came down to check in on Anne and Henry and thought I'd stop by to see you too. Now I am glad I did. So, what's going on ?"

Betty was not in the mood for a big discussion so she just spelled it out.

"Henry and I are taking a break this week while he settles in to his office. I think I am sending out the wrong signals and I wanted to send out some different ones before the wedding Friday night."

Daniel nodded his head, chuckling.

"Well, you are definitely sending out some different signals."

She laughed.

"I look ridiculous and I feel even more ridiculous. I even asked Ava to check his schedule so I can accidentally run into him. I feel like I am sixteen again."

"Betty, you're in love. It looks good on you. It always did."

She reached up and hugged him. She hadn't done that in awhile and it felt good. She pulled back and he was smiling.

"What was that for ?"

"Just two friends……you know, hugging."

He laughed. He turned to leave and then glanced back at her.

"I have a meeting with him at eleven, Amanda will be away from her desk right after that to run a personal errand and I still need a revised copy of the report you and Ruben are presenting Wednesday so if you accidentally barge into our meeting, it won't seem scripted."

She smiled at him.

"I'm just saying."

"Thank you, Daniel."

"Anytime."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

At a little before eleven, Betty printed out her latest revision on the finance report and a few minutes later, Ava brought it in bound and ready for Daniel's review. She handed it to Betty.

"So, it looks like you have today covered. I talked to a friend in the car pool and he is going to call me when Mr. Grubstick calls for a car this evening to leave. Do you want me to get you a car when he calls ?"

"Yes, please. Thanks, Ava."

"Sure, it is kinda fun, actually. Oh, and Christina called and said she will be at your place tonight at eight to bring you some outfits for the rest of the week."

"Great. And, we have wardrobe review this afternoon after lunch, right ? I'm just going to eat in the cafeteria."

"Yes. That's it for today. And, as far as Mr. Grubstick, I don't have anything yet for tomorrow, but I will work on it in the morning. Your schedule is pretty full all day, but we'll find something. And who knows, after he sees you today, he may make an effort to see you tomorrow. It could happen."

Betty smiled and looked at her watch. Eleven.

"Okay, I'm off, wish me luck."

Ava smiled and gave her thumbs up as Betty stood from her desk and picked up the folder for Daniel. She walked out of the office and down the hall into the elevator. She was nervous but she was determined to remain calm.

When she got to Daniel's office, as expected, Amanda was nowhere to be seen. She took a deep breath and rounded the corner into Daniel's office.

"Daniel, Amanda isn't at her desk, can you take a look at this revised….."

She looked up and saw Daniel sitting behind his desk and Henry sitting across from him. They were both looking at her, Henry looked almost pale. Daniel's face wore a smirk.

She tried to look surprised.

"Oh, I am so sorry, I didn't know you were in a meeting….."

She looked back from where she had come.

"Amanda, wasn't at her desk….."

Daniel smiled and saved her.

"It's okay, come on in Betty. Henry and I were just going over some things on the transition plan for him and James. I'm sure he doesn't mind the interruption."

When Henry didn't reply, still staring openly at Betty, Daniel continued.

"Do you, Henry ?"

Henry shook his head and looked from Betty to Daniel clearly embarrassed. Betty felt the color rise in her own neck, Ava was right, this was fun.

"Um, no, of course not."

He turned back to Betty and stood up.

"You look….wow………….I'm sorry, that was very unprofessional."

He took a deep breath to regain some level of control and professionalism in front of his new boss.

"You are welcome to interrupt, as Daniel said, this is just and informal meeting."

She looked at Henry from under her eyelashes and smiled.

It was all Daniel could do to keep from laughing because that was so clearly not Betty but yet definitely the result of her running one of the most successful women's magazines in publication. He was certain there were some things she didn't buy into in her own magazine but she had clearly read them all anyway.

"Thank you, I promise, I will only be a minute."

Henry sat back down, still taking in her appearance. It was subtle, yet disarming. He watched her walk right up to Daniel's desk and as she did the hem of skirt brushed his hand that was sitting on his knee. He almost gasped.

She handed Daniel the report, smiling.

"This is the final copy, so if you need any changes, can you get them to me by tomorrow afternoon ?"

He nodded very professionally at her.

"Absolutely. Thank you."

"No problem."

She turned slightly and looked between he and Henry.

"And, again, I am so sorry for interrupting. Henry, I'll see you at our meeting, Wednesday morning."

All he could do was nod. She turned and left the office as Henry watched her go. Daniel just sat and waited. After about two minutes, Henry turned back around and looked at Daniel.

"Sorry, where were we ?"

Daniel laughed and started their conversation where they had left off. He thought to himself, one-point for Betty. But, he had a feeling this game was far from over.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

That night, Ava stepped into her office at about five-thirty.

"He just called for his car."

Betty looked up.

"Good, I am exhausted. Thank you, Ava. And, thanks for everything you did today."

"No problem, it was fun."

Betty laughed.

"It was."

She powered down her laptop and packed up her bag for home and headed out. When she walked out of the building she saw Henry standing against the wall of the building waiting for his car. She acted like she didn't see him and walked forward pulling on her gloves.

He saw her and smiled. He pushed off from the wall and walked over behind her. She could feel his presence before he spoke.

"Hi."

She smiled and did not turn to look at him.

"Hi."

His car pulled up and the driver motioned to him as he opened the back door. She turned around to face him.

"Your car's here."

"Why don't you take this one, and I'll get yours ?"

She messed with the collar of his coat and secured his scarf more tightly around his neck.

"Are you sure ?"

"Yeah."

He walked with her over to the car and nodded to the driver.

"You can take Ms. Suarez home, I'll wait for her car."

The driver nodded and headed to the front of the car. After a minute, Henry leaned her onto the car and draped his arm across the roof resting her head on his arm as he crushed her mouth in a completely undignified display of affection.

When he pulled back, Betty's eyes fluttered open and she took a deep breath before speaking.

"Mr. Grubstick…..in public……"

"What can I say ? I couldn't help myself. You are breathtaking."

And before she could duck away he moved his other hand around her waist and drew her into another lip punishing kiss as he pulled her slightly away from the car. Once again, they both required air when they broke apart.

After a moment of recovery, Henry took Betty's bag from her shoulder, pulled open the door behind her and motioned for her to get in. She did and he handed her the bag, which she sat on the seat next to her.

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

He closed the door and smiled at her through the glass. She smiled back. He took a step back and slapped the top of the car and the driver pulled away from the curb and she was gone.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Tuesday had been busy, Betty had been going non-stop since she had arrived. Christina had her in a really comfortable frilly dress today and again she felt somewhat exposed but she was just too busy to care. Ava had tried to get her path to cross with Henry today but no luck so far.

Betty was just about ready to head to a three o'clock meeting when her phone buzzed.

"Yes, Ava."

"_Will Grubstick on the phone for you."_

Betty smiled.

"Put him through and call Production to let them know I am running a few minutes late."

_"Will do."_

Betty heard the line click.

"Will, what a nice surprise. How are you ?"

_"Hi, Betty, I am good. I'm on my lunch break at school and thought I would give you a call."_

"Well, I'm glad. But, I am on my way to a meeting. Did you need anything ?"

_"Oh, no, I won't keep you. I just wanted to let you know I emailed you some pictures that I took while I was in New York and there are some of you and Dad that I thought you might like. I sent them to your personal email address."_

"Oh, great. I will definitely look at them at home tonight. I have a photo printer there too and maybe I can print some out."

_"Great. Well, I'll let you go then. See you in March and have fun at the wedding Friday."_

"Thank you, I will. And, please, Will, call me anytime."

_"Okay, thanks. Bye."_

"Bye."

Betty hung up the phone and smiled. She already loved that kid and missed him. She picked up her notepad and folders and headed out for her meeting.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

As it turned out, she never saw Henry on Tuesday but she did see him in their finance meeting with Ruben on Wednesday morning. She had tried to be professional in the meeting while at the same time, trying to be flirty. It was harder with Ruben in the room but she managed to get a few good moves in she thought.

Henry had lost his train of thought at least three times by her count and Ruben had seemed none the wiser. When their meeting was over, Henry shook hands with Ruben and walked him to the door of his office. Once Ruben had left, Betty also made her move to leave but Henry held up his hand.

"Can I talk to you for a minute before you leave ?"

The look he gave her made her nervous, in a good way.

"Sure."

He stuck his head out the door and said something to Anne, then came back in and closed the door behind him. He started walking toward her and the look in his eyes was almost feral. She bit her lip.

"Henry ? What's wrong ?"

As he got closer she backed up until she was up against his desk. He walked right up to her until he was pressed against her by as much of his body as he could touch her with.

She took a deep breath.

"Henry ?"

"Do you know what you are doing to me this week ? You're driving me crazy. It's all I can do to keep my hands off of you at the most inopportune times."

She felt brave and moved slightly, so that their mouths were just a breath away and whispered to him.

"I'm sorry, I guess I am just looking forward to our date Friday night and I've missed you this week. But, I promise to give you your space for the rest of the week like we agreed on, okay ? We don't have any other meetings, so you probably won't see me at all."

She managed to slide to the left slightly, just enough to remove herself from his touch and she smoothed down her dress and smiled.

"Is that all ?"

He ground his teeth together looking at her from the corner of his eye.

"Yes, that's all."

She picked up her notes and laptop and turned to leave.

"I'll make sure we get the changes made to the presentation that you suggested and I'll have Ruben contact you about the specific numbers you needed more information on in the estimates."

He didn't turn to look at her.

"Thank you."

She waited a minute longer and then left his office.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Later that night at home, she was printing off some of the pictures that Will had sent while she talked to Christina on the phone.

"I don't know, he almost seemed mad."

_"Trust me, he wasn't mad. You just got to him faster than you thought. I hope you are ready for Friday night, because he is going to be all over you."_

"Christina!"

_"I'm just sayin', he will be."_

Betty giggled, shamelessly.

"I know. I can't wait."

"_Betty!"_

"Well…."

_"I'm glad you are happy."_

"Me too. Oh, these pictures Will sent are really great. Not just the ones of Henry and I but also the ones he took at the photo shoot. He is really talented. Maybe we need to doa piece on young photographers."

_"Sounds good, his new school probably has lots of talent."_

"You're right. I need to brainstorm on this."

_"So, the wedding is all set ?"_

"Yeah, I had lunch with Hilda today, everything is a go. She had Julio head for the honeymoon the day after and dad is going down to Mexico for two weeks. Justin is off to Milan I think, so I have two weeks all alone."

_"Oh, somehow I doubt that."_

"One track mind."

_"You know it."_

"Okay, I'm going to bed, the rest of the week is busy. What am I wearing tomorrow….the red ?"

_"Yes, and I soooo hope he accidentally sees you in that dress."_

"Well, see."

_"Alright, goodnight."_

"Goodnight, Christina, and thanks for your help this week."

_"No problem, I had fun."_

"Night."

_"Goodnight."_

_**- - to be continued - - **_


	12. Chapter 12

Author's Note : Thanks for the patience of the reader's who are enjoying this story...I hope this was worth the wait. I-C girls and boy - you rock !!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

**Chapter 12**

Betty walked into the office the next morning wearing the red dress Christina had picked out for her. This was by far the most form fitting and revealing dress Betty had ever worn. However, after her encounter with Henry the day before and really the whole week, she was feeling confident and even a little pretty. She was basically glowing. She had however decided to avoid Henry today, well, at least she was not going to purposefully hunt him down. If he saw her, he saw her.

Ava came in and they went over her calendar for the day. She was taking a half-day off the next day to help Hilda with the wedding so she had a lot to fit in.

"I don't have anything on Mr. Grubstick's calendar yet for today."

Betty smiled.

"You know what, that's okay. I think he has had enough of me this week anyway."

Ava smiled.

"Well, you do have staff with Daniel at three, so I am sure you will see him then at least."

"Oh, right. Okay. Thanks, Ava."

Ava left and Betty dived into her email. She saw a message from Henry and opened it.

"When you have a minute, stop by Anne's desk to pick up notes from yesterday's presentation. She has them at her desk."

Short and to the point. Betty looked at her watch and then her calendar. She had time now. She stepped out of her office.

"I'm walking down to Anne's desk to pick up some notes Henry left me. I'll be right back."

Ava nodded as Betty walked off. Anne was at her desk when Betty arrived.

"Morning, Anne."

Anne looked up and smiled.

"Betty, don't you look lovely today. Red is a perfect color on you. I bet you are here about the notes Henry left for you."

Betty blushed slightly. She knew that over the years her body had toned up nicely because she was just so busy and running around all the time, but she still preferred the protection and safety of layers on a normal day.

"Thank you, yes."

Anne moved some papers around on her desk before picking up the folder.

"Here you go."

Betty took the folder from her and was just turning to leave when Henry came out of his office.

"Anne…."

He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Betty. He had to swallow before he could even begin to put words together.

"Betty."

She smiled.

"Henry."

He went weak in the knees.

Anne was amused at the tension that darted from one to the other. She had been dealing with Henry's mood all week and now she knew why. They were both wound up tighter than a spring. She was glad they were going to the wedding the next day, she had a feeling they needed a weekend to unwind. Betty turned to Anne again.

"Thanks Anne. Have a good day."

She turned and walked away. Henry watched her leave. He took a deep breath and looked back at Anne.

"So, can you have copies of this made before the staff meeting with Daniel later today ?"

Anne took the papers from him smiling.

"Sure. You okay ?"

He smiled.

"Yeah, fine."

He started to walk away and then turned back.

"Have you ever made a decision that you thought was a good idea at the time and then regretted it every minute after that with no one to blame but yourself ?"

Anne smiled.

"All the time."

He looked back toward the path Betty had just taken tempted to run after her and drag her back to his office and behind closed doors. He looked back to Anne and smiled weakly.

"Yeah. I'm just ready for this week to be over. Thanks."

He walked back in his office and Anne shook her head and went back to work.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The rest of the day had gone without incident; Betty had only seen Henry again once in the staff meeting with Daniel. She had arrived early to get Daniel's comments about her outfit over with before everyone else got there and she had been glad she did.

As the meeting went on, Daniel noted with much amusement that while Betty's appearance had clearly been unsettling Henry all week, as he watched Henry give his presentation on some new media possibilities for Meade, Betty was also clearly affected. But then again, he knew that new ideas were her passion so this shouldn't be a surprise. What was a surprise was that once the presentation was over and Betty poured herself a glass of water, Daniel noticed Henry watching her with a slight smile. The scoundrel had known it would get to her. One point for Henry.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

Betty was sitting cross-legged on her couch later that night, pouring over Henry's presentation and researching on her laptop. She wanted to be part of his team for new media at Meade and she was determined to find out as much on the subject as possible so she could be an asset.

She jumped when her phone rang, looked at the caller id and smiled.

"Betty Suarez."

_"Hi."_

She sat the papers to the side and leaned back on the couch.

"Hi, yourself. What's up ?"

_"Are you busy ?"_

No way was she going to admit to him what she had been doing. She'd just leave that part out.

"No, not really, just waiting for Christina to bring me my dress for the wedding and eating some tamales dad gave me the other night when I was over there. How has your week been, settling in ?"

Henry also settled back on his couch.

_"It has been fine. Well, except for this one thing. There is this extremely sexy brunette that keeps distracting me."_

She grinned.

"Really ? Should I be jealous ?"

_"Nah, so far she is all flirt and no action."_

Betty laughed.

"I see."

_"So, what is the plan for tomorrow night ?"_

"Well, I am taking a half day off to help Hilda with last minute stuff and so we can do all that girly stuff, hair, nails, etc. The official wedding time is eleven-thirty. The family is meeting for a late dinner at nine. You, of course, are invited and expected by me, to come to that. You can come to the house any time after seven, we'll be there. Is that okay ?"

_"Yes, sounds good to me. I'll come over around seven, then. I, uh, ….. I've …. nevermind."_

She smiled.

"What ? You can tell me."

_"I'll tell you tomorrow night."_

She frowned. She had missed him too.

"Henry….."

_"Yeah."_

"I missed you this week."

She heard him sigh.

_"I missed you too. A lot."_

She smiled and then heard a knock at her door.

"Christina's here, I gotta go. See you tomorrow."

_"Okay, sweet dreams."_

"You too."

She hung up the phone smiling and then another knock.

"Coming !"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The next morning at work went quickly, Betty barely had time to get everything she needed done before Ava was pushing her out of the office with a car waiting for her downstairs. Once in the car, she leaned her head back and closed her eyes for the drive to Queens. Once she arrived, she sat with Ignacio and Hilda for a quick lunch Ignacio had made them. Julio and Justin were doing "guy things" all afternoon and would see them at seven. After lunch, it was one thing after another to get ready.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Henry was in his office when Anne walked in.

"This was just delivered for you."

Henry looked up as Anne brought a box into the office. He looked at her, perplexed and opened it. Inside was a note from Justin.

_"I thought you might want to match Aunt Betty tonight. See you at dinner. -Justin"_

He pulled a smaller box from the box and opened it. It was a tie in a very unique, deep purple color. He was planning on wearing his best black suit to the wedding with a white shirt and this would look perfect. And, if it matched Betty, all the better.

He held it up so Anne could see.

"For the wedding, to match Betty, apparently."

"Very nice."

He smiled.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Betty looked at her watch. It was just a little after seven. She was expecting Henry at any time now. He had called earlier and said he would bring a Meade car to take them all to dinner and then the wedding. Justin and Julio were on their own.

Betty yelled upstairs.

"Dad, Hilda, are you ready ? Henry will be here any minute."

Ignacio came down a few minutes later and then Hilda followed. Hilda looked lovely in a cream suit that was simple yet very feminine. She would change into her wedding dress and Betty into her dress at the church, after dinner.

Hilda had hers and Betty's dress in a hanging bag in the hallway along with a small suitcase with shoes, hair and make-up stuff. Betty was currently dressed in her usual layers of clothes, tonight in browns and purples.

The doorbell rang.

Betty opened the door and her mouth went dry. On the other side was Henry in the most amazing black suit she had ever seen and a gorgeous purple tie that she thought would perfectly match the dress she was wearing to the wedding.

Hilda was actually the first to speak.

"Wow. Henry, you look hot. And, I think that tie will match the dress Betty is wearing to the wedding."

Henry looked away from Betty's piercing glare long enough to smile at Hilda.

"Thank you, Justin had it sent to me today. He said it would match."

He looked back at Betty who was still speechless. He took her hands in his and pulled her close. She came out of her daze as his lips grazed hers in a sweet kiss hello.

"Hi."

She smiled.

"Hi, sorry. Hilda is right, you look great. Please, come in."

He kept one of her hands in his and entwined their fingers as he walked in to the house. Ignacio approached and Henry held his other hand out and the two men shook hands.

"Ignacio."

"Henry."

Henry looked around at everyone.

"So, are we ready ? I have the car outside."

After that there was just a bustling of activity and they made sure they had everything and headed out to the car. Betty and Henry sat next to each other in the car holding hands. Henry kept untwining and intertwining their fingers absentmindedly on the way to dinner.

Once they arrived at the restaurant, they were taken to a private room which was reserved for them for dinner. Henry watched Julio and Hilda interact as well as Julio and Justin and could tell they were already a family in every sense of the word. He could hardly wait to have that with Betty and Will. But, looking around and being included in this event already made him feel like a part of this family and he loved it.

Before long it was time to leave for the church. Julio and Justin stayed behind to take care of the bill and everyone else headed back to the Meade car waiting outside to take them to the church.

When they arrived, Henry pulled Betty aside and into the church sanctuary. There were people there finishing with lighting candles, the whole ceremony was to be candle lit and it already looked fantastic.

He pulled her along the last row of pews and behind a pillar in the corner of the church. He turned her around to face him and she was smiling and breathless.

"Henry…."

She didn't finish as he moved closer and captured her mouth in a delightful and soon heated kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck letting one hand stray into his hair as the kiss deepened. After a few minutes, he reluctantly pulled away.

"Mmm, I have been wanting to do that all week."

She smiled and smoothed his hair back in place.

"So, why haven't you ?"

"Because I am the one that said we would take a break while I settled in this week. And trust me, it wasn't easy. I could swear you were doing everything to break my willpower."

She blinked her eyes and looked at him in feigned innocence.

"And yet, it didn't work ?"

He frowned.

"You were trying to get to me, weren't you ?"

She let her hands drop to her sides.

"You figured me out. But, apparently I didn't do a very good job."

"Oh, you did a good job, I was a bear to be around all week, ask Anne."

Betty smiled.

"I guess I will have to go to more extreme measures."

He raised his eyebrows.

"Such as ?"

She put her arms loosely around his waist and leaned up to kiss his neck and run her tongue along his jaw line, humming as she went.

"Hmmmmmm…..I don't know maybe this will better reveal my plans for you this weekend."

He was surprised and a little turned on by her boldness as he felt her mouth on his ear and then she blew a soft breath across the moist trail she had left and he shivered.

"Betty….."

She pulled back.

"No ?"

He nodded.

"Oh, yes……but don't we, don't you……the wedding."

Betty pulled back quickly.

"Oh my, yes, I have to go get ready. I'll see you after, at the reception. I'm sorry."

She pulled away and then ran back to him and kissed him quickly again then turned and walked away again but just as he should have let go of her hand he pulled her back again and wrapped her up in his arms for a deep sensual kiss that once again left her breathless. She looked up at him dazed and he laughed.

"Go. I'll see you after."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The wedding went smoothly, Betty looked radiant in her purple dress and Henry smiled at her when she came down the aisle. He knew it wouldn't be long until she was walking down an aisle to him and he couldn't wait.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

At the reception the first few minutes were spent getting everyone moved from the church to the community center behind the church in time to welcome in the New Year. Just as the clock was about to strike midnight, Betty felt a hand in hers and she spun around into Henry's arms.

"5….4….3…..2…1……Happy New Year."

Henry drew her to him and kissed her. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him back. After a few minutes, they drew apart slightly, smiling.

"Happy New Year."

"Happy New Year."

Music started playing and they began to dance slowly. Henry leaned down and buried his nose in the crook of Betty's neck and then lifted up slightly to whisper in her ear.

"So, how long do we have to stay here before I can whisk you home ? I want to be alone with you tonight. All night."

She gasped and sucked in her breath, tightening her grip around him in order to keep her footing. She pulled back and looked into his now smoldering eyes. Apparently he had gotten the message this week and now it was her turn to make good on it.

"We have to stay for the cake, the garter and the flowers and then we can go. Justin will take dad home and Julio and Hilda have a car that will take them to their hotel tonight before they fly out tomorrow."

Henry pulled her closer and growled into her ear.

"Alright."

She ran her hands up his back and into the hair at the nape of his neck.

"Why don't I go check on Hilda and see how those things are going ?"

He grudgingly let her go but not before a slight nibble at her collar bone that she thought might actually leave a mark. His mark. She shivered. She walked away taking deep calming breaths.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

They had been somewhat restrained for the drive back to Betty's apartment because to be honest, Betty wasn't sure with their current course in mind, either one of them could have held back for long.

Betty fumbled with her keys at the door as Henry stood right behind her nibbling on her neck and running his hands over whatever part of her he could get to through her coat and clothes.

Finally with every ounce of concentration she could muster, they were inside and immediately, coats and clothes were falling off as they made their way to the bedroom. Henry's jacket and tie were tossed on the couch as was Betty's coat, his shirt was unbuttoned and abandoned in the hallway along with Betty dress. As Henry backed her into the bedroom he was stepping out of his shoes and pants so that when they finally both fell back onto the bed, there were mere slips of material separating them.

Betty's hands were everywhere and Henry's mouth was all over her. They were both breathing as if they had just run a marathon and neither wanted to stop the pace.

"Betty…..I can't….it's been a long time and I ….. I want you, I need you."

Betty reached for the waistband of his boxers and tugged urgently.

"We can talk later, I want you now too. Please, Henry……"

That was his undoing. He moved them both up the bed until they were a tangled mess of arms and legs frantically removing all remaining barriers between them.

"I don't want to hurt you. I need to slow down."

"No ! Henry, I have waited for this day for thirteen years, don't slow down, don't stop, I want to be with you, please."

Her eyes were dark with desire and he could sense that this time for them there would be no holding back and later they could reminisce and explore. They had all weekend. He looked down at her beneath him, a slight sheen covering her from head to toe as she trembled with desire. He could every part of his body react in anticipation of this moment between them.

As he moved over her, he put his hands on either side of her face and looked deeply into her eyes.

"I love you."

She wanted to reply but at that precise moment, he pressed his body into hers and they were one once again and it was the most blissfully exquisite moment she had ever experienced.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

It was a little bit later when he collapsed next to her on the bed and pulled her close to him that she was able to begin to breath again and she turned and looked at him.

"I love you, too. How did I ever let you go ?"

He pushed the damp hair from her forehead and smiled still breathless.

"I don't know how either of us did, but I guarantee you, I am never going anywhere again, ever."

He pulled her closer and she fit her body perfectly to him as they drifted off to sleep with arms and legs wrapped around each other in glowing contentment.

**_- - to be continued - -_**


	13. Chapter 13

Sometime in the middle of the night, he had opened a window to let the fresh cool night air in. It had been unseasonably mild for New York this week and he loved having the windows open when he could. The curtains blew with a soft breeze and there was a slight chill in the room. He didn't care though, he had dreamed of waking up like this for over thirteen years. He was warm and content because spooned in front of him, warm and cozy was the only woman he had ever loved, the only one he would ever love. Her hair was splayed behind her on the pillow and he could breath in the sweet scent of her shampoo and of her. He wrapped his arms more securely around her as he took in her warmth and shared his own.

He lay like that with her for a while remembering the last eight hours with a smile on his face. When they had first arrived at the apartment they had both been desperate to be together and their lovemaking had been hurried and passionate. But once that immediate need had been satisfied they had relished just being together so intimately and they had talked and touched and explored until gentle passion had overtaken them again and they had melted into each other with desire and craving. Exhausted, they had fallen asleep holding on to each other as if they would never let go again.

He lifted slightly from the bed to look over her at the clock on the bedside table. It was almost eleven and his stomach told him that as much as he wanted to stay in bed, he was going to need to eat at some point. He looked down at Betty and smiled then leaned in and kissed her cheek trailing his kisses from there to her ear where he nibbled and teased until she started to wake up. She tightened her arms around his as she woke up and snuggled back into him. She turned slightly toward him smiling.

"Morning."

She turned the rest of the way around and wrapped her arms around him leaning in for a proper kiss that he promptly supplied.

"Mmmmm……delicious."

She laughed.

"Thank you."

He leaned in and kissed her again. When he pulled away, he brushed the hair from her face and kissed her nose then leaned back and reached around behind him to retrieve their glasses. He handed her his as he put his on, adjusting them to his face.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome. So, as much as I want to stay in this bed, my stomach is grumbling. Do you have anything in the kitchen we can fix to eat ?"

She frowned.

"I've been so busy at work and with the wedding, that I have not shopped in ages. I doubt there is anything in there that is salvageable."

"Well, how about I go check and then we can either eat here or shower and eat out and go to the grocery for the rest of the weekend, because I plan to stay here for the next thirty-six hours. If you'll have me."

She smiled, leaned in and kissed him, nibbling at his lower lip as she pulled away.

"Oh, I'll have you."

He chuckled and raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, really….."

"Mmm, hmmmm."

God, she was impossible to resist. He lowered his head to her and they got wrapped up in several kisses that threatened to lead to more until he reluctantly pulled away from her.

"Temptress."

"Feed me."

He slowly stood from the bed, tucking the covers in around her and pulled on his boxers that had been discarded on the way into the bed that night before as he felt her gaze roam over him from head to toe.

"I'll be back."

She laid back on the pillows and smiled.

"Okay."

He left the room and she groaned in delight. She had dreamed of this day for so long but the reality of the last eight hours was more than she could ever have imagined.

She grabbed the blanket from the bed and wrapped it around her as she wandered to the bathroom to freshen up. She pulled her hair up in a rubber band, washed her face and brushed her teeth. She pulled a new toothbrush from the drawer in her bathroom and laid out towels and a washcloth for Henry in case he wanted to freshen up as well.

She walked into her closet and dropped the blanket in favor of a knee-length red silk robe and tied the sash around her waist. She left the bedroom and wandered to the kitchen. Henry had donned his dress shirt from the night before and was leaned over rummaging through the refrigerator when she let out a long whistle at the view.

He bumped his head on the refrigerator when he jumped at her appearance behind him and subsequent whistle.

"Ouch."

Betty rushed over and put her hands in his hair, he had only buttoned up a few buttons on his shirt and he looked adorable with his hair still mussed up and a frown on his face while he rubbed his scalp.

"Sweetheart, I am so sorry. Are you okay ?"

His other hand played with the red silk sash at her waist as he grimaced.

"I'll be fine, but I am going to need extra special attention later."

She smiled.

"Really ?"

He nodded.

"Okay, you big baby. What are you feeding me ?"

"Well, you were right, not much here. But, I can whip up some sandwiches and pasta salad to tide us over until we go to the store."

"That sounds good. What can I do ?"

He leaned in and kissed her.

"Nothing, just sit at the table and talk to me and be beautiful."

She grinned.

"I can do that."

She sat down at the table and watched while he pulled things from the refrigerator and cabinet. She directed him to everything he needed in the cupboards and she watched as he expertly put their food together. He told her that he was picking up the keys to the house this week and asked her to go shopping with him a couple of nights this week to look for furniture, which she agreed to do. In just a few minutes, he was setting a plate in front of her with pasta salad and a sandwich. He then brought over glasses of ice water for them, leaned down and gave her a small kiss and then sat down across from her.

"Wow, this looks great. You amaze me."

"Well, when you are a dad, you learn a lot of new stuff out of necessity. I've always loved to cook but cooking for a kid brings out a whole new level of creativity."

She laughed as she took her first bit.

"Mmmmm, this is sooo good."

"That's probably partly because you are so hungry."

"Well, maybe, but it is still good."

He smiled.

"So, I thought we could get cleaned up, go by my place to get me something to wear other than my suit pants and dress shirt and then go to the grocery and maybe the video store before coming back here. How does that sound ?"

"It sounds perfect. I feel so free this weekend, everyone in my family is out of town and I have no work obligations. This is like a mini-vacation for me."

"I'm glad I am here to share it."

She reached across the table and took his hand in hers raising it to her lips for a kiss to his palm.

"Me too."

That sat and ate, smiling at each other like two teenagers whose parents were away for the weekend. When they were done, Betty got up to take their plates to the sink. Henry jumped up.

"I'll get them."

She turned around and smiled.

"No, you go get dressed. I left some stuff for you in the bathroom and I'll do this. It will only take a minute to rinse it all and put it in the dishwasher."

"Okay."

Reluctantly he left the kitchen and Betty finished cleaning up. She checked the refrigerator and cabinets, making a short list of things they needed from the store and then headed to the bedroom. Henry was coming out of the bathroom in his pants, undone with a towel wiping his face. Betty wanted to whistle again but held back so as not to startle him again. When he looked up, he saw her standing there and took a deep breath.

"You need to get dressed too, or I will not be responsible for my actions."

"Promises, promises….."

He walked over and started to loosen the sash at her waist.

"Betty…."

She let her head dip to the crook of his neck and she started nibbling her way to his ear before she pulled back with her mouth a breath from his and whispered.

"What ? Just don't start something you can't finish."

After all, they were in no hurry.

An hour later, as they lay wrapped in each other's arms in a mass of tangled sheets and blankets on the bed, Henry heard his cell phone ring from the other room. He stumbled from the bed pulling one of the blankets with him, trying to wrap it around his waist as he went in search of his phone. Betty laughed as she sat up on the edge of the bed and pulled her robe back on and tied the sash. She walked to the living room where Henry was perched on the edge of the couch and sat down next to him. He wrapped his free arm around her and pulled her close.

"Happy New Year to you to, Will."

He smiled at Betty.

"Yes, the wedding was nice. Of course, she looked gorgeous. Yes, Hilda too."

Betty stood from the couch to give father and son some time to talk. She needed to get dressed anyway, because they really did need to run those errands. As she walked from the living room to the bedroom, she purposefully looked back at Henry just as she was leaving his sight and as soon as she knew he was looking, she dropped the robe and walked into the bedroom.

She giggled as she heard Henry's words falter in his conversation with his son. She had never been so brazen and she was amazed at how uninhibited she was with Henry. It had been that way all those years ago too. She had missed it.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"So, what did you do for New Year's ?"

"Mom and Robert invited to couples they know over who also have kids our ages and we played games and stayed up until midnight. It was pretty, okay."

"Sounds fun."

"Cass fell asleep before midnight but we woke her in time to see the ball drop."

Henry laughed.

"_So, is Betty there ?"_

"Uh, yeah, I am over at her place. She is getting ready and we are going to spend the weekend hanging out."

"Dad, I know how it works with adults."

Henry shook his head not really sure if he wanted to know what that meant exactly and decided to change the subject.

"So, I am getting the keys for the house this weekend and Betty and I are going to go shopping for furniture this week. Are you going to be able to get out here for that weekend we talked about ?"

"_February 11__th__ ?"_

"Yeah, Valentine's Day weekend."

"_I think so. Have you talked to mom about it ?"_

"Yes, I told her the plan."

"Well, it should be okay then."

"Good. I'll make sure I get tickets this week and call you with the details."

About that time, Betty came back in the room dressed and carrying a pair of shoes.

"Okay."

"Well, I need to go, son. I'll talk to you Monday night, okay ?"

"Sounds good, enjoy your weekend, hanging out. Tell Betty I said hi," 

Henry ignored the inflection in Will's voice on the words, hanging out and laughed instead.

"I will, goodbye."

Henry closed his phone and looked at Betty.

"Will says hi."

She sat down in the chair across from him and pulled on one of her shoes.

"What were you saying about tickets ?"

"Oh, he is coming in town on February 11th for the weekend."

"Oh, fun."

He looked at her and smiled.

"So, I guess it is safe for me to get dressed now, you aren't going to jump me ?"

"I can't make any promises."

He laughed shaking his head.

"I'll be ready in a minute."

He walked back to the bedroom to get dressed and she sat on the couch patiently waiting.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

They spent the afternoon as planned, stopping by his house for clothes and while she had tried to distract him into another romp in his bed, he had kept her at bay reminding her that they needed to get to the store and back to her place before dark. She had grudgingly agreed with him and they had gone to do their shopping after leaving his place.

First stop, video store where they each picked out two movies. Henry, of course, picked up movies that were artsy, Sundance Film Festival unknown films while Betty picked out two romantic comedies she hadn't seen.

At the grocery, they picked up some chicken and two steaks, some potatoes, salad fixings, some eggs, cheese and other staples for breakfast and lunch. She had got the few things she had on her list and he had stopped to get a few fresh fruits as well that he had plans for later that night.

They took a cab back to her place with their bags and cuddled and laughed in the back seat until they got there. Henry paid the cab driver and they made their way inside the building with happy greetings for the doorman.

Once inside the apartment, they put everything away in the kitchen and then went into the living room and settled in on the couch. Henry dropped the bags with the movies on the coffee table and then leaned back into the couch pulling her with him.

"Do you have a DVD player in the bedroom ?"

She grinned.

"Yes."

He pulled her in closer.

"Then I think we should just stay here like this for a little bit and then fix some dinner. After dinner, I think we should retire to the bedroom for our movies and any other after dinner activities."

"Sounds good to me."

Henry turned slightly causing Betty to sit up from where she was sitting. She turned and look at him and he smiled and ran his hand across her face. He leaned toward her and found the back of her neck with his hand and slowly leaned her back on the couch until he was hovering over her.

"In the meantime……"

She looked up at him and he could see passion flaring in her eyes.

"Yes……"

He leaned down and kissed her deeply, running his tongue along her bottom lip until she granted him entry. As he pressed into her, careful to keep his full weight from her, she pulled him closer and moved to the side so he could settle in next to her.

As he began unbuttoning the cardigan she was wearing, she had the overwhelming need to feel his flesh pressed against hers. His hands started an exploration of their own but she broke their kiss long enough to indicate with her eyes and her actions that she wanted his sweater and t-shirt off, immediately. He lifted up from her and removed it. She lifted up as well and shrugged the now unbuttoned sweater from her shoulders and arms. As he lowered himself back to her, she moaned as his chest made contact with her and pulled him down harder to feel the full pressure of his body as it pressed into hers. Flesh to flesh, heartbeat to heartbeat.

She ran her fingers through his hair and played with the ends at his neck. He pressed a hand into her lower back to tighten their connection and slowly came up for a moment of air before looking deeply into her smoldering eyes and descending back to her mouth. It became difficult to tell where he stopped and she started as they continued to kiss.

He trailed his fingers down her arm and followed the motion with his mouth and tongue. He wanted to touch and taste every part of her. He craved everything he had been missing about her and her sighs and moans threatened to drive him over the edge yet again.

"Betty, I ….."

Before he could finish she captured his mouth in another mind-numbing kiss and he was lost. No more clothes came off as they continued to make out on the couch, each hungry for the touches they had missed for so long. Henry slowed the pace between them because he wanted to save the best for after dinner.

He pulled away from her again, with a deep sigh. She was breathless and he smiled at her and kissed her nose.

"God, I feel like I can't get enough of you. You are like a drug to me now."

"I'm not going anywhere and I am not letting you go anywhere ever again."

"Good."

He paused for a minute just looking at her and catching his breath before he spoke again.

"I need to get up and fix dinner but I don't want to leave you."

She smiled at him.

"We can fix dinner together. I am getting hungry."

"Okay, to the kitchen then. You first."

She leaned into him and he hugged her close and then she pulled back and practically fell off the couch in her attempt to get up.

"I'm going to go put on a t-shirt, I'll be right there."

"Okay."

He watched her leave the room and got up himself, retrieving his t-shirt from the floor and putting it on. He was going to broil them some chicken and steam some vegetables. He had also bought some hard rolls to heat in the oven to eat with everything.

She came up behind him in the kitchen and slid her arms around his waist kissing the back of his neck.

"What can I do ?"

"Grab the carrots, cauliflower, snap peas and broccoli from the fridge and start chopping it into bite size pieces into this bowl."

He handed her a bowl and a paring knife and she set the on the table and headed for the refrigerator to retrieve her items. She sat at the table and chopped everything up. She brought the bowl to him as he slipped the chicken into the oven.

He finished the vegetables and bread just as the chicken came out of the over. Betty had set the table and opened a bottle of wine she had in the refrigerator. Once everything was on plates they sat down to eat. Dinner was intimate and casual and really tasty. Betty again was amazed at Henry's cooking skills.

"I think I am going to keep you around for your cooking if nothing else."

"Oh, yeah, well you haven't really seen me cook yet. Just wait until later."

She laughed.

"Oh, yeah ?"

"Yep."

Betty had run the dishwasher that morning before they left so they washed the dishes together by hand and cleaned up the kitchen together before walking through the apartment, turning off lights. Henry grabbed the videos from the coffee table and they went to the bedroom.

AS they entered the bedroom, Henry toed off his shoes and socks and Betty did the same with her shoes. She stood in front of him at the end of the bed and placed her hands on his chest.

"I'm going to go change, why don't you pick a movie and I'll be back in a minute."

There was just something in the way she said it that made him gulp in an extra breath of air.

"Alright."

She pushed him to the bed, turned and walked away, pleased.

After she left, Henry picked out a movie, one of hers, and popped it into the DVD player. He grabbed the remotes from next to the TV and put them on the nightstand next to his cell phone. He removed the rest of his clothes down to his boxers and climbed into bed.

He didn't hear her come back into the room because he was looking at the remotes in his hands.

"So, what movie did you pick ?"

"I thought….."

And, then he looked up and his mouth went dry and he lost the ability to speak. She was loving every second of it.

"Henry ? Are you okay ?"

She started to walk toward him and he still could not speak. She looked toward the TV and back to him.

"What movie did you pick ?"

She was wearing something blue, barely something blue. He wasn't looking at what she was wearing. He was looking everywhere else. If people only knew what lay hidden under those layers. He frowned at the thought of anyone else seeing her this way, unnecessary jealousy threatening to interrupt this perfect moment.

She walked up to the bed and leaned down putting her hands on the mattress and crawling in towards him. He still had not spoken.

"Henry….."

She didn't finish because he leaned forward in one quick motion, grabbed her gently by the arms and flipped her over down into the mattress as he covered her body with his own and looked at her with a primal need. He finally gruffly replied as his mouth descended to her ear and neck.

"No movie until later."

_**-- to be continued --**_


	14. Chapter 14

_**Author's Note : **Thanks to everyone for being so patient for each chapter of this story, I am really struggling right now with writing. I think part of it is no new Ugly Betty episodes and part of it is the unknown for the last five episodes. I feel angst coming on and even though I am a part of the END.GAME.GANG. I still worry about the middle._

_Anyway, I hope those of you reading enjoy this installment. I am bad about not responding to individual reviews but I love and appreciate every one. Thanks to those that read, review, add alerts, etc. You guys inspire. And, as usual thanks to the gang at Instant Connection who share my love for the most genuine couple on television these days._

**Chapter 14**

They never did get to that movie the night before. Now they were sleeping soundly as the breeze blew into the room. Henry was slowly waking up and as he did he pulled Betty in closer and wrapped his arms more tightly around her. It was a little chilly in the room but the warmth from both of them made him feel cozy and at home.

He kissed the back of her neck lightly and she slowly woke and purred.

"Mmmm….morning."

He murmured into her neck.

"Morning. I think we should stay in bed today, watch movies we never watched last night, snuggle and nap."

She turned around slowly facing him and smiled.

"That sounds nice."

She leaned up and kissed him sweetly.

"Can we take showers this morning and eat something first before this great plan of yours ?"

"Yes, but, separate showers, you wore me out last night. I'm not as young as I used to be."

She laughed.

"Alright."

He brushed her hair from her face.

"How about I go whip up some breakfast and you take your shower and then we can eat and I'll take mine ?"

She leaned up and kissed him in response.

"Sounds perfect."

He slowly slid from the bed and pulled on his boxers and a t-shirt before heading for the kitchen. She stretched slowly and then leaned over onto his pillow and breathed in the smell of him. She also slipped from the bed, grabbed her robe from the chair in the corner of the room and headed to the bathroom.

In the kitchen, Henry threw together an egg casserole his mom had taught him to make and put it and some crescent rolls in the oven to bake. He walked back to the bedroom and grabbed clean sweat pants and a t-shirt from the bag he had brought over. He listened to the shower and while he wanted to go climb in with her, he decided against it. Both of their bodies needed a rest after last night. He smiled.

He picked up his cell and went to the living room to call Will. They were just finishing up their call when Betty walked into the living room wearing some knit pants and a t-shirt and drying her hair with a towel. She smiled at him and he motioned for her to sit down next to him. She did and listened as he finished the call.

When he set the phone down on the coffee table, she leaned back against him.

"That felt so good."

He kissed the top of her head.

"I'm glad. Listen, I have rolls and a casserole in the oven. When the timer goes off, take the rolls out and then reset the timer for ten minutes and then pull out the casserole, okay ? I'm going to go ahead and take my shower real quick."

She looked up at him smiling.

"Okay, enjoy your shower."

"I will."

He got up off the couch and headed to the shower. She picked up the brush she had brought out with her and combed through her hair, then fluffed it up with her hands. She got up and walked to the kitchen, two minutes left on the first timer.

She went to the front door of the apartment and got the paper and brought it in to the kitchen table. The timer went off. She opened the oven and took out the rolls and then reset the timer.

She got plates and silverware out set the table in the dining room. She got out cloth napkins and glass goblets. She went back to the kitchen and started a pot of coffee. She brought a pitcher of juice into the dining room and sat it on the table and then headed back the kitchen. She stood at the kitchen table and opened the paper to the business section and started flipping through the news.

Soon the timer went off and she carried the casserole to the dining room and sat it in the middle of the table. Henry came walking out of the bathroom with his sweats and t-shirt on and wet hair. He walked up behind her at the table.

"Smells good. What else do we need ?"

She smiled.

"I don't know, this is your meal, what do we need ?"

Henry pulled the chair back from the table.

"You have a seat, I will get whatever else we need from the kitchen and be right back."

Betty sat down in the chair and Henry left the room. She poured them both some juice and yelled to him in the kitchen.

"Can you bring in the coffee ?"

"Got it."

Henry came back with some salt, pepper, butter, honey and the coffee balanced in both hands. Betty grabbed what she could and Henry poured them both coffee and then took the pot back to the kitchen. He came back again with sugar and cream and sat down.

They ate basically in silence other than the praising sounds Betty made for the meal and the laugh she got from Henry. They both cleared the table and loaded the dishes in the dishwasher and started it. Henry poured them fresh coffee and then pulled Betty to the couch in the living room to relax.

They watched the first movie there in the living room, snuggled on the couch and then retreated to the bedroom for an afternoon nap. Henry fixed steaks for dinner and again they stayed in the living room watching movies until late pausing in between for some serious make-out sessions that had them both breathless and giggling like they were ten years younger.

Henry pulled Betty up from the couch around ten.

"I have to go."

She frowned.

"I know. Work tomorrow."

"Yes."

Henry leaned down and kissed her nose pushing her hair back from her face and then continued.

"This has been an amazing weekend. I love you so much. Being with you again, it just makes all of those years melt away."

She smiled.

"I know. I feel the same way. It's just forward from here, right ?"

"Absolutely. We are never going to be apart again."

"I love you."

She tiptoed up and kissed him. He wrapped his arms around her and deepened their kiss.

"Mmmmm, I gotta get out of here."

She laughed.

"I know. I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too. We'll have lunch tomorrow and we'll get our schedules synced so we can spend more time together. I'll let Daniel know what is going on, too."

Betty blushed.

"Henry…."

"I just think it is important he know we are back together again. It's not like he isn't expecting it."

"True."

They kissed again.

"Okay, I am leaving."

He pulled her toward the door after he grabbed his bag that he had put by the door earlier and slung it over his shoulder.

"I'll call you when I get home."

"Okay."

He opened the door and stepped outside leaning back in for one last kiss.

"Bye."

"Bye. Love you."

He walked to the elevator and pushed the button.

"Love you too."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The next few weeks had flown by. Betty and Henry were both busy at work and while they had managed to grab lunch about twice a week and saw each other in meetings, the only real alone time they had was in the evenings. Henry usually stayed at Betty's twice a week and she was staying at his place over the weekends.

They spent most weekend hours shopping for furniture for the house because Henry wanted everything in place before Will came in February. The first thing they had bought was a huge king-size bed for the master bedroom and all the furniture to go with it. They had gone and picked out sheets, towels, etc. for all the bathrooms and the kitchen the weekend after that and from that point on they had pretty much stayed at the house as many nights as they could.

Living room, dining room, kitchen and pretty much everything else had slowly been added as the weeks had gone by. Henry had talked to Will on the phone several times, showing him furniture to consider for his own room and once Will had picked something he had liked out, Henry had ordered it as well.

The last of the furniture and accessories had been delivered this week and both Henry and Betty were looking forward to a nice quiet weekend at the house with no errands or shopping to do.

It was late on Friday and Ava was just finishing up her filing when Betty's phone rang.

"Betty Suarez's office."

"_Ava, it's Henry, is Betty free?" _

"Yes, Mr……."

Ava stopped, lowering her voice, and continuing.

"…Henry, let me get her for you."

Henry laughed as he was placed on hold. It was hard for Ava to call him anything other than Mr. Grubstick, even though he had insisted she call him Henry. He always enjoyed the struggle she went through each time he called.

"Hey."

_"Hey, yourself. Are you ready to go? I'm hungry."_

Betty looked at her watch realizing how late it was.

"Wow, yes, I am so sorry, I was going to try and get out early, wasn't I?"

"_Well, you and me both. I called a car. What time is dinner ?" _

"Let me call my dad and let him know we are on our way. He has become accustomed to me calling to announce my arrival since my job got so hectic. So, it will be ready when we get there."

_"Great. See you in the lobby."_

"OK. Love you."

_"Love you too."_

As Henry walked from his office, now on the Executive floor, to the elevator his cell phone rang. He looked at the caller-id and smiled.

"Hi, Will."

"_Hi, dad. I just wanted to call and let you know, I emailed you my flight info for next weekend."_

"Oh, good, are you getting in Friday night or Saturday morning ?"

_"Friday night, late. And, then I leave Tuesday around, noon."_

"Perfect. No problems getting off of school ?"

_"No, no problem."_

"Good. I can't wait for you to see the house."

"_Me either. Is my room cool ?" _

"Very. And they just installed the basketball hoop yesterday so you better be ready."

_"Oh, I'm ready."_

Henry laughed.

"I'll call you this weekend, I'm on my way to Queens for dinner with Betty's family."

_"Oh, right. Good luck."_

"Thanks. Talk to you later. Love you."

_"Love you too, dad. Bye."_

Henry stepped off the elevator and saw Betty waiting for him. He walked over, pulled her in his arms for a quick kiss and they left. Weekly dinner in Queens was a ritual in Betty's world but since Julio and Hilda's wedding it has switched to Friday nights. Henry enjoyed the time with Betty's family and felt more and more a part of the family as time went by. They drove quietly happy in the knowledge that this was the beginning of a quiet relaxing weekend.

When they arrived, the house was bustling as everyone did their part to get dinner finished and on the table. It was a full house tonight, as Justin was in town and had joined them. Talk around the table was casual and light, everyone filling each other in on the events of the week and plans for the weekend. Henry took this opportunity to speak up.

"I was hoping, if everyone is free that you can all come out to my new house next weekend for dinner. Will is coming into town late Friday night, so I was hoping we could do something Saturday night."

He looked at Betty, who smiled and nodded her head. They had discussed this a few days ago at lunch. Ignacio was first to respond.

"Of course, that would be nice, Henry. I'll be there."

Hilda and Julio also nodded.

"Yes, we'd love to see your new house."

Henry smiled, proudly.

"Great, I'll send a Meade car out for you around five if that is okay. Justin, will you be in town ?"

Justin was actually looking at his handheld planner as Henry was asking. He looked up and smiled.

"Actually, yes, I will be. I'd love to come. Just email me the address and I'll be there."

Betty took Henry's hand in hers smiling. He smiled back.

"Perfect. I am really looking forward to all of you seeing the place. Betty helped a lot with all the decorating and I think it looks great."

The conversation continued with talk of the house and next weekend's dinner. Ignacio served dessert while Hilda and Betty cleared the dinner dishes. Everyone headed to the living room to chat. After awhile, Ignacio got up and headed to the kitchen. Henry stood up and looked down at Betty, smiling.

"I'll be right back."

She smiled up at him.

"Okay."

She watched as he followed Ignacio to the kitchen. A few minutes later, he stuck his head around the corner.

"Ignacio and I are taking the trash out, we'll be back in a minute."

Betty looked up at him and nodded.

"Okay, honey."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Later, back at the house, Henry and Betty snuggled into their king-size bed. Henry was reading a book he had bought the previous weekend at one of the used bookstores he always dragged her into and she was just watching him.

She started to play with the buttons on the front of the pajama shirt he was wearing. He tried to ignore her as long as he could but after a few minutes he let the book drop to his lap and broke into a grin looking at her.

"What are you doing ?"

She smiled at him.

"Trying to distract you. Is it working ?"

"You know it is, it always does. I just read the same sentence like six times."

She laughed and turned to face him, snuggling up to his side. Henry set his book on the nightstand and Betty lifted up slightly as he put his arm around her back and pulled her closer to his side so she could rest her head on his chest.

"Trash day is Monday."

He looked down at the top of her head.

"What ?"

"Trash day in Jackson Heights is on Monday. Why were you and my dad taking the trash out tonight ?"

"You know, you think to much and need to mind your own business."

He reached down and took her glasses off her face and put them on the nightstand next to him and then took his off as well. He leaned over and pushed her to her back and moved to hover over her keeping his weight on his arms.

She laughed.

"You didn't answer my question."

He leaned down and kissed her neck and trailed more kisses along her collarbone and then made his way up to her lips. After kissing her for several minutes, he pulled back looking into her now smoldering eyes.

"What was the question ?"

"I said, why were you and my dad………"

She didn't finish because his hands and his lips were starting to make her lose the ability to think clearly. He smiled.

"What ?"

She was breathless as she tried to remember what she had been asking him.

"What are you doing ?"

He smiled at down at her flushed face.

"Trying to distract you. Is it working ?"

"You know it is, it always does."

He pressed his body to hers and continued his assault on her senses until she forgot all about what they had been talking about and could only think of getting closer to him.

He was happy to oblige.

_**- - - to be continued - - - **_


	15. Chapter 15

_**Author's Note : **Yeah, obviously, I am still struggling with writer's block….can't seem to get this updated in a timely manner and I have virtually disappeared from my home away from home. I am making my way back I promise._

_You guys that read, review, alert, whatever…..inspire me. I hope my problems being motivated are NOT reflected in this most recent installment._

_**Some clarifications :** Betty and Henry are not living together, yet. Henry has moved into his house and they spend most nights there together, but Betty has not actually moved in. The date at the beginning of this chapter is Monday, February 7, 2022. Betty is 37, Henry is 41 and Will is soon turning 14._

_**Here we left off :** After dinner at the Suarez house, Betty thinks Henry is up to something and tries to get it out of him when they go to bed that night but he manages to distract her with his deliciousness. Will is due in town at the end of this week and everyone is coming over to the new house Saturday night for dinner._

**Chapter** **15**

Betty came into the office early on Monday. She had been so relaxed over the weekend that she had woke up bright and early. She had taken the train in and left Henry just getting up when she left the house. He had a meeting this morning at Will's school so she would see him later.

Betty looked at her watch, she had a meeting with Daniel in ten minutes and she had told Henry she would invite he and Lindsay to the dinner Saturday night and of course, Bradford.

She walked out of her office a little later.

"Ava, I'm off to Daniel's for a meeting, I should be back in about an hour. If Henry calls in will you let him know I am swamped today and won't be able to have lunch after all. And, can you call Dani in the features department and see if she can slip into the time I had scheduled for lunch ?"

Ava furiously wrote each task as Betty spoke and then looked up.

"No problem, I'll give you an update when you get back."

Betty smiled.

"Thanks. And, Ava, can you schedule us some time tomorrow ? Maybe we could have lunch."

Betty was happy she had asked when Ava gave her a huge grin.

"That would be nice. I'll look at your calendar."

Betty nodded and walked off to the elevators. She passed Henry's office on her way to Daniel's and stopped to say hi to Anne. She was pleased to hear that Henry had invited Anne and her husband over for the dinner party Saturday also.

At Daniel's office she stopped at Amanda's desk.

"Is he ready for me ?"

Amanda looked up and smiled.

"He is, go on in."

"Thanks."

Betty walked in just as Daniel was hanging up the phone. He motioned to the round table in the corner of the room near the windows and Betty walked over and took a seat. He walked over and greeted her with a smile.

"So, how was the weekend ?"

"Nice, we didn't do anything. Just the way I like it."

"Dinner in Queens ?"

"Well, yes, that, but dad does all the work so that is nice too. Speaking of dinner, Henry is hosting a dinner party at his house this weekend, Saturday night. We'd love it if you, Lindsay and Bradford could be there."

Daniel smiled.

"Well, let me check with Lindsay, see if she feels up to it and then of course we'll be there. Are you sure you want Bradford running around ? He is quite a handful these days."

She laughed.

"Of course, we do. And, how is Lindsay feeling ? If she's not up to it, we'd understand."

He shifted in his chair.

"She had some false labor pains this weekend but the doctor says she is still two or three weeks away. She'll want to come, she has been going stir crazy at the house lately so any little distraction will be welcomed I am sure."

"Great. Well, give her a call later, and let me know. It's just casual, nothing fancy. I think the theme is going to be Italian."

"Perfect. Now, let's get to it. I have something coming up that I want to work on with the features department for the April issue. Can you talk to Dani and get her on board. Unfortunately, I can't give you any details at this point, but it will be a multi-page article with art."

"Photographs ?"

"Yes. Some we'll take and some that will be given to us to use. Kind of a human-interest story. We're going to get the exclusive which is why I can't give you any details at this point."

Betty nodded making some notes in her notebook. She looked up at Daniel and smiled.

"That's fine for now, I trust you. When will we get more details ?"

"I should have something next week, so after you give her the basics, see about scheduling something on my calendar, your calendar, hers and also get someone in there in regards to any pictures we need to take and/or incorporate. I'd say shoot for Tuesday, maybe afternoon."

She smiled.

"Alright. Anything else ?"

"Nope, I think that's it. Henry said Will is coming in this weekend too."

"Yes, he gets in Friday night, Henry is really excited. I don't think he has ever been away from him this long. They talk on the phone every day."

"He seems like a great dad."

Betty smiled and nodded.

"He is."

"How about Will's mom, what was her name ?"

"Charlie ?"

"Yes, Charlie, how is that ?"

"Fine, I haven't really seen or talked to her but she is married and has other children. She seems to have matured a lot and the relationship with her and Henry seems solid enough to make them both good parents to Will."

"Well, good."

He smiled and continued.

"Seems like everything is working out for you finally."

"Yes, it does. I am very happy."

She smiled and looked off out the window thinking of Henry.

"I'm glad. Well, I want to try and give Lindsay a call before I go into my next meeting so I can check on her and tell her about the dinner. I'll talk to you later."

Betty stood and gathered her stuff from the table and smiled.

"Sounds good. I'll talk to Dani today."

"Great."

Betty left the office. She looked at her watch and realized she had enough time to drop by Christina's before she needed to be back in her office. She headed to the elevators and down to the closet.

"Hey, where are you ?"

She looked around trying to find Christina in the rows of clothes that seemed to be everywhere. Christina popped up from between two racks and smiled, blowing her bangs off her forehead.

"Hi yourself. What are you doing down here ?"

Betty made her way over to where Christina was standing and smiled at her friend.

"Is it that time already ?"

"Yep, spring cleaning, the list went up this morning. The frenzy is tomorrow."

Betty laughed.

"Cleaning the closet out, someone should write an article on that someday."

Christina laughed and Betty continued.

"So, you know I told you Henry wanted to do that dinner thing at the new house ? Well, it is this weekend, Saturday to be exact. Are you and Stuart going to be able to make it ?"

"Of course. You still think Henry is up to something ?"

"Definitely. But I am afraid to get too suspicious because I don't want to ruin anything for him if he is planning something. Plus……"

Betty paused and sat down in the chair across from Christina's workspace where they had managed to walk to while talking.

"…nevermind."

Christina frowned.

"Plus what ? What's wrong ? You love surprises."

Betty shrugged.

"I know. I just have an idea what it might be and I don't want to get my hopes up."

Christina nodded.

"I know, I had the same idea."

And then she added quickly.

"Not that he has talked to me or anything, I just kind of put two and two together based on what you have told me."

Betty waved her hands in front of her face and then smiled up to her friend.

"Anyway, enough of that. I am looking forward to everyone seeing the house and I can't wait. It's casual, Italian food on the menu."

Christina decided to go along with the change in topic.

"Sounds great. I can't wait."

Betty looked at her watch and jumped up.

"Oh, I've got to go. Just don't mind my ramblings…..I'll talk to you later."

Christina smiled.

"Alright."

Betty turned and left as Christina watched her go. She didn't think Betty had anything to worry about.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The rest of the week went by without much else happening out of the ordinary. Everyone that had been invited to dinner had confirmed. Betty thought Henry was getting a little nervous about having so much company but he curtailed it with excitement over Will's arrival. Betty had finally convinced him to cater the dinner so he had one of their favorite Italian places coming in Saturday afternoon to set everything up.

Friday they drove to the airport to pick up Will. His plane was right on time and he ran up through the security checkpoint and flung himself in Henry's arms. It was quite possibly the most adorable thing Betty had ever seen.

As soon as father and son finished their welcomes, Will turned to Betty and gave her an enthusiastic hug also. She smiled and laughed as she returned the hug and ruffled his hair.

Will and Henry talked non-stop on the drive from the airport to the house and Betty had to gently tug on Henry's arm as she realized they were turning on the street where the house was. He looked at her and she nodded forward.

"Oh, we're here. So, Will, you've been here before of course when we looked at the house."

As they pulled into the driveway, Will smiled.

"Yes, it is just how I remembered it. Oh ! And the basketball goal is up. You ready for me ?"

"You know it. It's still a little chilly out but that just makes it more invigorating. Maybe we can talk some people into playing a little two on two or three on three tomorrow. I saw some kids playing down the way the other day."

"Cool."

Henry smiled and brushed at Will's hair.

"I missed you."

Will leaned over on him.

"I missed you too, dad."

Betty watched them as the car came to a stop.

"Let's go check out the inside."

Henry and Will jumped from the car and raced to the house. The driver had already removed Will's luggage and Betty motioned for him to follow her inside. He sat the bags down and left.

Will and Henry came in from where the kitchen was just as Betty hung up her coat in the entry way closet. Henry looked at her and smiled.

"We're going upstairs. Coming ?"

She smiled and waved her hand forward.

"Lead the way."

Betty followed them up the stairs and they headed straight for Will's room at one end of the hall. Will opened the door and ran in throwing himself on the bed. Henry laughed as he and Betty followed him in and watched him react to the room.

"Oh my gosh, Dad, this is so cool. It's perfect."

Betty squeezed Henry's hand.

"I'm so glad you like it. Of course, we can get some more personal things to add to it and your mom is supposed to be sending me some pictures we can get framed and add to give it a personal touch. You can hang what you want on the walls as long as it doesn't get out of hand. You know the rules."

Will rolled his eyes.

"I know the rules."

"Okay, well let me show you the rest of the upstairs then."

Will jumped off the bed and they headed down the hall. There were two guest bedrooms and then the master at the end of the hall.

"And, this is the master bedroom."

"Whoa. That bed is huge."

Betty and Henry both laughed.

"So, that's basically it, you can look around and explore tomorrow. For now, why don't you go down and get your stuff and bring it up and get settled in. Betty and I will be downstairs in the family room. You can come down and say goodnight when you are ready for bed."

"Okay."

"Oh, and there is a phone in your room with a private number. Give your mom a call and let her know you are here and you can give her the number."

Will smiled.

"My own number ? Cool."

"Well, we'll see how that goes, but for now, yes."

Will hugged his dad and headed downstairs to get his stuff.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

A little bit later, Betty and Henry sat on the sofa cuddled up watching the fire Henry had made die down.

"Mmmmm….I need to go."

Henry turned and looked at Betty.

"You're leaving ?"

"Yeah, I think it's best while Will is here, don't you ? I asked the driver we had earlier to come back and get me around ten so he is probably out there already."

He hugged her close.

"Well, I won't argue tonight but I make no promises for tomorrow night."

She laughed.

"Deal."

They got up and Henry got Betty's coat and wrapped her up in it before leaning in and pressing his lips to hers in a lingering kiss. He pulled back and smiled.

"You'll be over in the morning ?"

She smiled back.

"First thing."

They opened the door and the driver was outside waiting. Henry walked her to the car and with one last goodbye kiss she was gone.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

As planned, Betty had arrived first thing the next morning. She had wolfed down a bagel and some coffee before heading over and when she got there, Henry and Will were already in the middle of a heated game of basketball and it looked like a couple of boys from the neighborhood had also joined in.

Henry smiled as her saw her get out of the car near the curb and said something to the boys before he headed over. He was completely out of breath when he finally did reach her and pull her in for a quick kiss.

"I'm getting to old for this."

He laughed.

"You better get back over there."

He took a deep breath.

"Oh no, you saved me. One of the boys is going to call another friend to come over. I need to get washed up before the caterers get here."

She smiled and squeezed his hands as he pulled her in for a hug.

"You go on in and get cleaned up, I'm going to watch the boys for a few minutes."

"Okay."

She leaned over and gave him a quick kiss before he jogged up the path to the front door and disappeared inside. She walked up the driveway just as Will made an awesome shot from pretty far away.

"Woo hoo !"

She clapped and smiled at him. He stopped and smiled back waving.

"Hey, Betty. I think we wore dad out."

She laughed.

"It looked like it. I'm going to watch for a few minutes before I go inside. Is that okay ?"

He smiled.

"Sure. You can see how awesome I am."

She laughed and stepped back to watch them play.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Later that afternoon, Betty stood in the corner of the kitchen watching the caterers get everything ready. They were going to set up everything buffet style so everyone could serve themselves and keep it casual.

She pointed them in the right direction when they needed something so that Henry could corral Will into the showers and get his room straight. It amazed Betty how one boy could get so much stuff strewn across his room in less that twenty-four hours.

She smiled at the thought.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

At five-thrity the doorbell arrived announcing the arrival of their first guest. Daniel and family walked in smiling. Bradford, of course, was the first to speak.

"Betty !"

He held his arms out to her and she gladly took him from a clearly relieved Daniel. Lindsay looked great but Betty could see that she was tired.

"Lindsay, you look great. How are you feeling ?"

Lindsay smiled a less than Lindsay smile.

"Good, I had kind of a rough day today. More pesky fake labor pains, but I am OK now."

Betty quickly took her elbow while Bradford played with the butterfly clip in her hair and led her to the living room.

"Take this chair here, it is super comfortable and probably the easiest one to get up from, I'll have Henry get you something to drink. What sounds good ?"

"Thank you Betty, just some water would be great."

At that point Henry made an appearance coming down the stairs.

"Sorry, I wasn't there to answer the door. Will."

He rolled his eyes. He shook hands with Daniel and smiled over at Lindsay.

"'Enry !"

Henry smiled at Bradford.

"Hi Bradford. How are you ?"

Bradford looked from Henry to Betty and poked Betty in the nose with one of his fingers before looking back at Henry.

"Betty."

Henry laughed. He clearly had competition.

"Yes, that's Betty."

Bradford looked at him seriously.

"Mine."

Everyone laughed.

"Oh, I don't know about that, Bradford, we'll see."

Henry raised his eyebrows toward Betty. She smiled at him and he knew Bradford was wrong about that.

"Sweetheart, can you get Lindsay some water, she's had a long day."

Henry looked sympathetically at Lindsay.

"Of course. Daniel, what can I get you ?"

"I'll come with you."

The men left and Betty sat down on the sofa near Lindsay. Bradford continued to play with Betty's hair. They talked about the baby and waited until the guys returned with drinks for everyone. Daniel had even brought a sippy cup for Bradford with some juice. He handed it to him carefully.

"Be careful, Bradford. Both hands."

Bradford took the cup and began sipping from it carefully.

Everyone else arrived within the next fifteen to twenty minutes and delightfully Bradford got passed around to everyone never keeping his eyes off Betty when possible.

Soon dinner was served and everyone was seated around the dining table plus two other tables the caterer had brought. The conversation was lively and everyone was having a great time. Betty thought she had seen Lindsay wince a couple of times during the meal but once she had shifted in her seat she seemed to get comfortable again each time. Daniel also seemed to notice also and had kept his arm draped around her chair for most of the meal.

The dishes were cleared and everyone was served a small portion of Tiramisu. Somehow Henry stood up from his chair and managed to get everyone's attention in between the conversations and all eyes turned to him and the room fell quiet.

He smiled down at Betty who sat next to him at the table.

"First of all, I want to thank everyone for coming tonight. I have been back in New York for a few months but being here in my new house with all of my family and friends has finalized my feelings of being back home."

He cleared his throat and looked at Will.

"When I moved away more than thirteen years ago, it was with one purpose in mind, to raise my son and provide him with the best life I could give him."

He now switched his attention to Betty.

"I left a lot behind. I think I always knew that someday I would come back here because I always felt something special for New York, something real and right."

Henry looked into Betty's eyes as if she were the only one in the room at this point and knelt down in front of her. Those that could no longer see clearly, stood quietly and moved forward.

"I came here for Will, Betty, but I always knew I would come back for you if you'd have me. I am so in love with you."

A tear fell down Betty's cheek and she mouthed the words back to him.

"I spent the last fourteen years being the best dad I knew how to be and now with Will's blessing and your father's, I want to spend the rest of my life being the best husband I can be too."

He took a small black box from his pocket and opened it in front if her.

"Betty, I have always loved you and I always will. Will you marry me ?"

She could no longer contain the tears that spilled from her eyes as she smiled at him and through them she leaned in and kissed him.

"Yes, of course, yes. I love you too."

The room erupted into a wave of cheers and screams. All of the women were crying and all of the men were nodding and clapping. Henry stood up and pulled Betty into his arms, kissing the tears from her face as they mingled with his own. Will came over and the three of them wrapped in a tight embrace.

No one noticed that Daniel and Lindsay had stopped cheering and that Daniel had sat her back in her chair. She winced in pain.

He motioned for Hilda to come over and spoke quietly to her and Hilda sat next to Lindsay taking her hand. Daniel made his way to the front of the room and as much as he hated to, he tapped Henry on the shoulder breaking up the family moment.

Henry turned to him smiling and then realized something was wrong.

"Daniel, what is it ?"

"I'm so sorry to interrupt your moment, congratulations. Um, I've got to get Lindsay to the hospital. It's time."

It took Betty and Henry a minute to register what was happening and then Betty spoke.

"Oh my God, she's going to have the baby."

Daniel laughed.

"Yes. I hate to do this, but is there any chance we can leave Bradford here with you for the night. Ironically, the nanny has the weekend off because her mom is sick."

Henry didn't hesitate. Betty was a little surprised.

"Of course, we'd be happy to watch him. You have a car here right ? You need to get going. Call us from the hospital when you know something. We'll take good care of Bradford."

"Alright, let me get Lindsay in the car, and I'll bring in Bradford's bag. We keep one packed for him too, just in case."

"Go, we'll be fine."

Within minutes, Lindsay was in the car and Daniel was off. The rest of the party milled around congratulating Betty and Henry. They filled everyone in on Daniel and Lindsay while they all sat around the living room having coffee. Henry saw Bradford's eyes dropping. He had had a busy day. He walked over and took him from Hilda, who was holding him at the moment.

"I'll take him. He's about out."

Hilda handed the little boy over to Henry. He walked by Betty and told her he was going to take Bradford upstairs Betty nodded. Henry came down a little later and sat back down.

Daniel called in a couple hours later and said that this was definitely it. He would call them in the morning with the details.

After everyone had left, Betty and Henry headed up to bed. They walked into the master bedroom and over to the bed where Bradford was cushioned between every pillow Henry had been able to find. He was in pajamas and curled up on his side sucking his thumb.

Henry walked up behind Betty and put his arms around her and laid his chin on her shoulder.

"This has been one of the best days of my life. I have a perfect son, a perfect job, perfect family and friends and the perfect fiancé. What more could a man want ?"

Betty looked at Bradford a moment longer and then turned in Henry's arms.

"How about a daughter…..?"

…_**.to be continued…..**_


	16. Epilogue

_**Author's Note : **So the last chapter was basically the end to this story, Henry is back, everyone is happy and where they should be. So this is just a short epilogue that gives you one final glance into the future to see how things really turned out. I hope you enjoy._

_Thanks again for the patience of those that had this on story alert and those that kept it in their hearts….you guys make the best readers. Thanks to those over at I-C who sent me eCards etc. to make sure I was okay during my writer's block and subsequent hiatus from their lives._

_Probably nothing new from me until this season is over…and then I have a few ideas for summer so stay tuned._

**Epilogue**

_4 years, 3 months, 9 days later – May 16, 2026_

"Betty, where are my keys ?"

Betty looked up from the bag she was packing and yelled into the other room.

"In the entry way, in that bowl by the door, where you always leave them."

He yelled back.

"Thank you. Do you know what time it is ? We're going to be late."

She smiled as she closed the bag and picked up her watch from the nightstand securing it to her wrist. She grabbed the bag and her purse and headed downstairs.

As she reached the bottom step she stepped forward putting a hand on her husband's waist to calm him. He turned around and smiled nervously.

She brushed a stray hair from his forehead.

"We're not going to be late, sweetheart. We have plenty of time."

He smiled at her and leaned down for a quick kiss.

"Sorry, I guess I'm just nervous."

"I can see that, you'd think you were the one graduating from high school."

He frowned.

"Oh, God, no, don't make me relieve those years."

She laughed and handed him her purse and the bag she had packed.

"Can you take these out to the car and then come back in and we can go."

"Sure, I can do that. Do you have everything ?"

"Well, you never know if you have everything, but I think so."

He smiled and went out to the car. Betty walked into the living room and made sure everything was in order. Everyone was coming over after graduation for a cookout that Julio was in charge of and although they would be in the backyard for that she wanted to make sure the house was in some kind of order.

She heard Henry come back in and when he entered the living room, she turned toward him.

"So, are we ready ?"

She smiled.

"I'm ready."

Henry walked over to where the TV was and kneeled behind the couch perching his chin on the back behind a little head full of black hair that was completely engrossed in some cartoon.

"Rose Red, are you ready to go ?"

The little girl turned around and squealed as Henry lifted her from her seat and into his arms with a flourish.

"Daddy !"

He pressed raspberries into her neck and she broke into a fit of giggles and Betty watched and grinned.

"Okay, you two, we need to get going so we can get to graduation on time."

Rose tried to return the raspberries onto Henry's cheek but made a big sloppy mess instead and Henry groaned.

"Gross, you got your slobbery mouth all over me."

This made Rose laugh even harder. He reached down and turned off the TV with the remote and turned to Betty as he shuffled Rose around to his hip.

"We're ready."

The three of them left the house to head to Will's graduation. Once there, they met Hilda, Julio, Justin, Charlie, Robert and their kids. Everyone exchanged hellos and sat down as the ceremony began.

Betty and Henry kept Rose as content as you can keep a three year old when they are forced to sit still so long. She clapped and clapped when Will came across the stage.

Five of the seniors had been chosen to present short films at the ceremony and of course Will, who was graduating near the top of his class, with a full scholarship to UCLA's Film School, was one of them.

Everyone beamed with pride.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Later back at the house, everyone gathered for the big cookout. Daniel and his family were there. Their daughter, Emlyn, was a little more than a year older than Rose and they were great friends. Betty and Lindsay had been pleased since they lived so close to each other and had relied on each other a lot as the girls had grown up.

Christina and her husband were there; Ava and her boyfriend, Anne and her husband and even Alexis. Some of Will's friends from school whose parents lived out of town were there with their parents.

Julio was at the grill while Hilda ran around making sure drinks, chips, etc. were all filled and refilled as everyone ate and visited. The kids were playing in the back part of the lawn. Betty stood just inside the back door from the kitchen watching the scene.

She felt some arms wrap around her waist and smiled as a chin rested on her shoulder.

"Going back outside ?"

"In a minute."

"What's on your mind ?"

He already knew.

"You know, it's moments like this that I really miss him. He loved celebrations when the whole family got together."

He brushed the hair from her neck and kissed her cheek.

Yes, he did. But, he's here watching. And, he got to see Rose when she was born and even heard her call him 'abwhoa' or whatever that was that came out of her mouth when we tried to get her to say abuelo."

Betty laughed.

"I think it was abwhoa."

He hugged her.

"Just think, someone may call me grandfather in a few more years."

She poked him in the side and turned around in his arms, laying her head on his chest just over his heart.

"Don't say that, it makes me feel old."

He leaned back and lifted her face to look at him.

"You. You are beautiful and you will make a beautiful grandmother some day. I'm sure you father is so proud of you and all that you accomplished in life. I can only hope to have lived as full a life as he did."

She lifted up on tiptoe and wrapped her arms around his neck pulling him down for a kiss.

"Thank you."

"Anytime."

He leaned in to kiss her again when the back door opened and Will bounded inside. He stopped when he saw them.

"Yuck. Don't you two ever stop ?"

The turned toward him and laughed. And in unison replied.

"No."

He shook his head and laughed.

"Good."

They all three turned and walked outside to visit with their family and guests.

Life was good.

**The End.**


End file.
